Matthew Davies (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Thomas Davies | ||
| Date of birth | 7 February 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Perth, Western Australia, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Pahang FC | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2012 | A.I.S | ||
| 2012–2015 | Perth Glory Youth | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2013–2015 | Perth Glory | 16 | (0) |
| 2014 | Perth Glory Youth | 5 | (1) |
| 2015– | Pahang FC | 29 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2013 | Australia U-19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2015– | Malaysia U-23 | 5 | (0) |
| 2015– | Malaysia | 7 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 26, 2016. | |||
Matthew Thomas Davies (born 7 February 1995) is an Australian-born Malaysian professional football (soccer) player who plays as a right back for Pahang FC in the Malaysia Super League.
He started his professional career with Perth Glory FC at just 18 years old, making his debut in 2013.
Davies went on to establish a place in Pahang’s starting line-up in quick time, making 25 Malaysia Super League (MSL) appearances and earning plaudits when caretaker coach Ong Kim Swee gave him a debut against Saudi Arabia in the World Cup qualifiers in September. Davies also featured for Malaysia at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore back in June.
Displaying maturity that makes it hard to believe he’s just 21 years old, the young right-back is tipped to be a mainstay in the national team for the next decade.[1]
Davies was given Captaincy for Pahang FC at just 21 years old, making him the youngest captain ever for Pahang FC and the first half Malaysian to become captain in the Malaysia Super League.
Early life
Born in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Davies moved to Malaysia when he was 20 years old due to his impatient nature in search of International football. "I left Australia because I’m impatient in nature … I wanted playing time and I knew I wasn’t going to get much by staying in Australia," he said. "The opportunity to play international football for the country my mother was born in was too good to refuse. There are not many A-League regulars in the Socceroos.[2]
Club career
Davies started his career with A.I.S in 2010. He captained the squad and was awarded player of the year and voted players player during his 2011/2012 NYL season with the AIS. Previously to this he was a product of the National Training Centre (NTC) programs in Western Australia.[3]
Perth Glory FC
Davies signed for Perth Glory FC and played in the National Youth League for Perth Glory FC Youth. In 2013-2014 season, Matthew was promoted to Perth Glory FC squad after signing a 2-year contract with the club. He went on to make his senior debut against Melbourne City FC on 27 October 2013. He spent 2 years with Perth Glory FC accumulating 16 senior appearances. [4]
Pahang FC
In April 2015, Davies signed with Malaysia Super League team, Pahang FC during the April transfer window. He was signed as a local player based on his Malaysian heritage[5]
In February 2016, Davies became Captain of the Malaysia Super League team, Pahang FC shortly after the season had started. He is the youngest player ever to be given captaincy for Pahang FC at just 21 years old and the first half-Malaysian to be given the honour in the Malaysia Super League, as he is half Australian and Malaysian.
International career
Australia U19
Davies was selected for the U19 Young Socceroos squad to represent Australia at the COTIF Tournament in L'Alcúdia, Spain from the 12th to the 21st of August in 2013.
Malaysia u23
An Australian by birth, he chose to represent Malaysia at national level. He was eligible by virtue of his mother who was born in Malaysian state of Sabah. [6] He made his international debut for Malaysia's under-23 team at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games playing 4 out of 5 Group games. Malaysia Finished third in their group and were unsuccessful in qualifying for the semifinal.[7]
Malaysia
Davies has been called up for national team duty on multiple occasions. He debuted for the Malaysia national team on the 8th of September in a World Cup Qualifying game against Saudi Arabia in a 2-1 loss. He's since made another four appearances for the Malaysian national team. [8]
Honours
Individual
References
- ↑ "FFT's 2015 Team of the Year – Defenders". FourFourTwo. 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ Vijhay Vick (2015-11-08). "Davies: I left Australia for Malaysia because of my impatient nature". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ Seng-Foo Lee (2015-04-07). "Pahang snap up Matthew Davies". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ "Glory LEGEND welcomes YOUNG stars". Perth Glory. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ Seng-Foo Lee (2015-04-07). "Pahang snap up Matthew Davies". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ "Transfer News: Pahang sign Perth Glory youngster". Goal.com. 2015-04-08. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ "Ong Kim Swee names 20-man Malaysia squad for SEA Games". Espn FC. 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ Chua Siang Yeesiangyee (2015-09-09). "Malaysia match abandoned, Football News & Top Stories". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ↑ "Rightback Davies the only bright spark in Pahang’s dim season - Football | The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. 2015-12-20. Retrieved 2016-03-16.