Matt O'Riley

Matt O'Riley
O'Riley with Celtic in 2023
Personal information
Full name Matthew Sean O'Riley[1]
Date of birth (2000-11-21) 21 November 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Hounslow, London, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m)[2]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Brighton & Hove Albion
Number 33
Youth career
2007–2009 NPL Youth
2009–2017 Fulham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2020 Fulham 1 (0)
2021–2022 Milton Keynes Dons 49 (10)
2022–2024 Celtic 93 (25)
2024– Brighton & Hove Albion 5 (1)
International career‡
2015–2016 England U16 4 (0)
2017 England U18 1 (0)
2022 Denmark U21 6 (2)
2023– Denmark 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024 (UTC)

Matthew Sean O'Riley (born 21 November 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. Born in England, he plays for the Denmark national team.

Club career

[edit]

Fulham

[edit]

O'Riley joined the academy of Fulham at the age of eight, having previously played for Teddington-based NPL Youth.[3] He progressed through several age groups, eventually becoming a regular in the club's U18 and reserve sides.[4] He made his first team debut on 8 August 2017 in a 2–0 EFL Cup first round away win over Wycombe Wanderers.[5]

Over the next two seasons O'Riley featured for the club's U21 side in several EFL Trophy group matches whilst on the fringes of the first team. He made his Championship debut on 1 January 2020 as a 19th-minute substitute in a 2–1 home defeat to Reading.[6] O'Riley left the club in the summer of 2020, having declined a new three-year first team deal amidst rumoured interest from several clubs domestically and abroad.[7]

Milton Keynes Dons

[edit]

On 24 January 2021, O'Riley signed for League One club Milton Keynes Dons, having spent six months training with the side as a free agent since leaving Fulham.[4] He made his debut for the club two days later on 26 January 2021, in a 1–0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic.[8] Just a week after joining the club, O'Riley scored his first professional career goal in a 2–0 away win over AFC Wimbledon on 30 January 2021.[9]

After an impressive start to the 2021–22 season, on 11 December 2021 he was named EFL Young Player of the Month for November 2021, a month in which he scored four goals in as many appearances.[10]

Celtic

[edit]

On 20 January 2022, O'Riley joined Scottish Premiership club Celtic on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported £1,500,000 fee after the club met his release clause.[11][12] He made his debut on 26 January 2022, starting in a 2–1 away win over Hearts.[13] On 9 February 2022, O'Riley scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 away victory over Aberdeen.[14] On 9 April 2022 he scored a brace in a 7–0 home win over St Johnstone.[15] O'Riley would help Celtic lift the 2021–22 Scottish Premiership that year.[16]

On 6 September 2022, O'Riley made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 3–0 home defeat against Real Madrid.[17] In September 2023, he signed a new four-year contract with the club.[18] On 20 October 2023, O' Riley was named Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for the month of September. In April 2024, he was named in the PFA Scottish Premiership Team of the Year for the 2023–24 campaign.[19] A month later he was voted Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year for the 2023–24 season at the club's annual awards ceremony, topping off a successful season in which he went on to claim his third successive league title with Celtic.[20]

Brighton & Hove Albion

[edit]

On 26 August 2024, O'Riley joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of £25 million, signing a contract until June 2029.[21] He made his debut the next day, starting in a EFL Cup tie against Crawley Town, but after a nasty tackle was injured nine minutes into the game and forced to come off.[22] O'Riley subsequently underwent ankle surgery, with Brighton chairman Tony Bloom confirming that it was hoped he would return to full fitness "at some point in the latter part of the year."[23] On 9 November 2024, O'Riley scored his first goal for Brighton on his Premier League debut in a 2–1 league win over defending champions Manchester City.[24]

International career

[edit]

O'Riley was an England youth international. As well as England, he is eligible to represent Denmark due to his mother's side of the family.[25] In February 2022, O'Riley declared his interest in representing Denmark internationally when he stated that: "I played for England youth teams but at the same time, I do feel quite Danish. My mum is Danish and I can speak a decent amount and I can understand a very good amount. In that sense, I don't think it is out of the question at all. If I did get a call up from Denmark, I don't think I'd be saying no".[26]

In March 2022, O'Riley was called up to the Denmark under-21s for the first time.[27] On 14 June 2022, O'Riley scored his first goal for Denmark against the Turkey under-21s in a 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match - which Denmark won 3–2.[28][29]

On 20 November 2023, O'Riley received his first senior cap for Denmark, starting in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match versus Northern Ireland.[30][31] Despite his fantastic form for Celtic, he was controversially left out of the 26-man squad for the finals in Germany. Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand said: "Matt has been a really good player, he's had a great season. He played well and I understand the question. I have chosen six other midfielders but it was tight. I have chosen six players that we can move around a bit. Mikkel Damsgaard and Andreas Christensen can also cover positions in the midfield. It has gone beyond Matt, but it was a difficult choice. I know he will play a lot of international matches. He couldn't have done anything differently [to earn a place in the squad]. He could hardly do better than what he did this season."[32]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 8 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fulham U21 2017–18[33] — — — — 3[c] 0 3 0
2018–19[34] — — — — 1[c] 0 1 0
2019–20[35] — — — — 2[c] 0 2 0
Total — — — — 6 0 6 0
Fulham 2017–18[33] Championship 0 0 0 0 2 0 — — 2 0
2018–19[34] Premier League 0 0 0 0 1 0 — — 1 0
2019–20[35] Championship 1 0 0 0 1 0 — — 2 0
Total 1 0 0 0 4 0 — — 5 0
Milton Keynes Dons 2020–21[36] League One 23 3 — — — 1[c] 0 24 3
2021–22[37] League One 26 7 1 0 1 0 — 2[c] 0 30 7
Total 49 10 1 0 1 0 — 3 0 54 10
Celtic 2021–22[37] Scottish Premiership 16 4 2 0 — 2[d] 0 — 20 4
2022–23[38] Scottish Premiership 38 3 5 1 3 0 6[e] 0 — 52 4
2023–24[39] Scottish Premiership 37 18 5 1 1 0 6[e] 0 — 49 19
2024–25[40] Scottish Premiership 2 0 — 1 0 — — 3 0
Total 93 25 12 2 5 0 14 0 — 124 27
Brighton & Hove Albion 2024–25[40] Premier League 5 1 0 0 1 0 — — 6 1
Career total 148 36 13 2 11 0 14 0 9 0 195 38
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  4. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League
  5. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League

International

[edit]
As of match played 26 March 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Denmark 2023 1 0
2024 1 0
Total 2 0

Honours

[edit]

Celtic

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2024/25 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Matt O'Riley". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  3. ^ "5 Signings that the new Bradford City manager should consider". alloutfootball.co.uk. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b "O'Riley makes MK Dons move". Milton Keynes Dons. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Wycombe Wanderers 0-2 Fulham". BBC. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Fulham 1-2 Reading: John Swift sets Royals on way to victory". BBC. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Fulham youngster Matt O'Riley to leave club amid Championship, Dutch and Belgian interest". Sky Sports. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Milton Keynes Dons 0-1 Charlton Athletic". BBC. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  9. ^ "AFC Wimbledon 0-2 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  10. ^ a b "O'Riley named EFL's Young Player of the Month". Milton Keynes Dons. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Celtic delighted to sign Matt O'Riley". Celtic. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Matt O'Riley to Celtic: A potential Tom Rogic understudy who could play a major role against Rangers". 20 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Hearts 1-2 Celtic: Postecoglou hails Celtic's 'resilience & grit'". BBC. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Aberdeen 2-3 Celtic: League leaders survive second-half comeback in five-goal thriller". BBC. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Celtic 7-0 St Johnstone: Leaders nine points clear after crushing win". BBC. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Celtic win Scottish Premiership title after Dundee United draw". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Champions League (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  18. ^ "O'Riley signs new four-year deal at Celtic" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  19. ^ a b "PFA Scotland team of the year revealed as Celtic and Rangers stars dominate". footballscotland.co.uk. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d "A night of Celtic celebration at club's 20th anniversary Player of the Year Awards". Celtic. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Albion Sign Matt O'Riley From Celtic". www.brightonandhovealbion.com. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crawley Town: League Cup". BBC Sport. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  23. ^ "First indication of when O'Riley could be back for Albion after successful surgery". The Argus. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  24. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City live score, H2H results, standings and prediction". SofaScore. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  25. ^ "Matt O'Riley to Celtic: A potential Tom Rogic understudy who could play a major role against Rangers". The Scotsman. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  26. ^ "Celtic ace Matt O'Riley 'won't say no' to Denmark amid World Cup dream". uk.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  27. ^ DBU. "Flere nye ansigter på U21". DBU (in Danish). Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  28. ^ "%competition_name% (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  29. ^ M.Ross (14 June 2022). "Video: Matt O'Riley Scores First Goal For Denmark | Celts Are Here". Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  30. ^ "Celtic star Matt O'Riley handed Denmark debut". The National. 20 November 2023.
  31. ^ FC, Celtic (23 November 2023). "Matt O'Riley aiming to improve club performances after Denmark cap". Celtic FC.
  32. ^ Pirie, Mark (30 May 2024). "Matt O'Riley told Celtic form wasn't enough by Denmark boss after Euro 2024 snub". Daily Record.
  33. ^ a b "Games played by Matt O'Riley in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Games played by Matt O'Riley in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  35. ^ a b "Games played by Matt O'Riley in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  36. ^ "Games played by Matt O'Riley in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  37. ^ a b "Games played by Matt O'Riley in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  38. ^ "Games played by Matt O'Riley in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  39. ^ "Games played by Matt O'Riley in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  40. ^ a b "Games played by Matt O'Riley in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  41. ^ "Dundee United 1–1 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side reclaim league title". BBC Sport. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  42. ^ Watt, Martin (7 May 2023). "Heart of Midlothian 0–2 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side seal back-to-back titles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  43. ^ Duncan, Thomas (3 June 2023). "Celtic 3–1 Inverness CT: Ange Postecoglou's side win Scottish Cup to claim treble". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  44. ^ Moffat, Colin (26 February 2023). "Kyogo strikes twice as Celtic beat Rangers in final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  45. ^ "O'Riley's goal of last month and a goal for this month". celticfc.com. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  46. ^ "O'Riley voted Player of the Month". Scottish Professional Football League. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
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