TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Inter Miami CF have themselves a World Cup winner. The club announced on Thursday morning that they had completed the signing of France international Blaise Matuidi. The 33-year-old midfielder was signed using Targeted Allocation Money and will will occupy an international roster slot, pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa.
The announcement came a day after Juventus announced that Matuidi had left the club by mutual consent.
“I couldn’t be happier to welcome my friend Blaise to Inter Miami. He is an exciting and gifted player and a great person,” said co-owner David Beckham in a statement. “To have a World Cup winner of Blaise’s quality in our new team is such a proud moment - for us as owners and for our fans. For me personally, to have a former teammate joining our Club is very special and I can’t wait to welcome him and his beautiful family to South Florida.”
Matuidi, a dynamic and gifted midfielder, spent three years with Juventus, winning the Serie A title in each season at the Turin club. He made 133 appearances for the team in that time, a number only surpassed over the same period by Paulo Dybala. In the season just gone, Matuidi made 35 appearances in Serie A, starting 23 times. He also played five times in the Champions League.
Before joining Juventus, Matuidi spent six seasons with French giants Paris Saint-Germain — where he played with Beckham in 2012/13. With Les Parisiens he helped lead an era of prosperity, including a stretch of four consecutive Ligue 1 titles from 2012-16 and 12 total cup titles in his seven years. In total, he made 295 appearances for the team, tallying 33 goals and 28 assists. In that time he made 45 Champions League appearances, tallying six goals and nine assists.
“Blaise is one of the most successful midfielders of his generation and we’re thrilled to have him at Inter Miami,” said Miami COO & sporting director Paul McDonough. “His world-class quality and leadership will be key attributes for the Club.”
Matuidi's crowning achievement, though, came on the international stage when lifting the 2018 World Cup with France. Matuidi has represented France from the youth teams through the full national team starting with his senior debut in 2010. Since then, he has made 84 senior appearances for Les Bleus, registering nine goals and 10 assists across all competitions. The Toulouse-born midfielder appeared at the 2016 Euros, as well as at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups. The 33-year-old played in five and started four of the team’s seven matches en route to the 2018 title, including the final against Croatia.
Matuidi becomes the only World Cup-winner currently in MLS.
From 2007-11, Matuidi played for French side Saint-Etienne where he made 154 appearances in all competitions and registered three goals and six assists. From 2004-07, he played for Troyes, making his professional debut for the team in Ligue 2, France’s second division. The team was promoted to Ligue 1 following his first season and he went on to make 69 total appearances for the club, tallying four goals and two assists.
