Matthew Davies (footballer)
{{Short description|Footballer (born 1995)}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Matthew Davies
| image = Matthew Davies playing football for Malaysia (cropped).jpg
| caption = Davies playing for Malaysia in 2021
| fullname = Matthew Thomas Davies{{cite web|url=http://gms.kualalumpur2017.com.my/RS2017/Athlete/ProfilePage/6843|title=Matthew Davies Profile|publisher=2017 Southeast Asian Games|access-date=19 December 2017|archive-date=25 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225090921/http://gms.kualalumpur2017.com.my/RS2017/Athlete/ProfilePage/6843|url-status=dead}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|2|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = Perth, Australia
| position = Right-back
| currentclub = Johor Darul Ta'zim
| clubnumber = 2
| youthyears1 = 2010–2012
| youthclubs1 = A.I.S.
| youthyears2 = 2012–2015
| youthclubs2 = Perth Glory
| years1 = 2013–2015
| clubs1 = Perth Glory
| caps1 = 16
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2014
| clubs2 = Perth Glory NPL
| caps2 = 5
| goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2015–2019
| clubs3 = Sri Pahang
| caps3 = 92
| goals3 = 3
| years4 = 2020–
| clubs4 = Johor Darul Ta'zim
| caps4 = 74
| goals4 = 2
| nationalyears1 = 2013
| nationalteam1 = Australia U19
| nationalcaps1 = 5
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2015–2018
| nationalteam2 = Malaysia U23
| nationalcaps2 = 15
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 2015–
| nationalteam3 = Malaysia
| nationalcaps3 = 55
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's football}}
{{MedalCountry|{{fb|MAS}}}}
{{medalTeam|Malaysia under-23}}
{{MedalCompetition|Sea Games}}
{{MedalSilver|Sea Games 2017|Football}}
| club-update = 11 January 2025
| nationalteam-update = 16 November 2024
}}
Matthew Thomas "Matt" Davies (born 7 February 1995) is a professional footballer who plays primarily as a right-back for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim and the Malaysia national team.
He started his professional career in his native Australia with Perth Glory at 18 years old. After playing for two seasons at Perth Glory, Davies went on to Sri Pahang in 2015 in the Malaysia Super League. After his first season, Davies was given captaincy for Sri Pahang at age 21 years old, making him the youngest captain ever for Sri Pahang and the first half-Malaysian to become captain in the Malaysia Super League.
Born in Australia, Davies qualified for Malaysia through his mother, who hails from Sabah. He made his international debut with caretaker coach Ong Kim Swee against Saudi Arabia during the World Cup qualifiers in September 2015 at 20 years old. Davies also featured for Malaysia at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore in June 2015.
Early life
Born in Perth, Davies grew up playing football from a young age, stating that his brothers' participation in the sport encouraged him to play.{{cite web|url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/features/davies-i-left-australia-malaysia-because-my-impatient-nature|title=Davies: I left Australia for Malaysia because of my impatient nature|author=Vijhay Vick|publisher=FourFourTwo|date=8 November 2015|access-date=16 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216045034/http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/features/davies-i-left-australia-malaysia-because-my-impatient-nature|archive-date=16 February 2016|url-status=dead}} Davies was raised in Australia, although he was able to obtain Malaysian citizenship through his mother.
Davies moved to Malaysia when he was 20 years old. "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".
Club career
= Youth =
Davies started his career with the 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/my/news/pahang-snap-matthew-davies-0|title=Pahang snap up Matthew Davies|author=Seng-Foo Lee|publisher=FourFourTwo|date=7 April 2015|access-date=16 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919203552/http://www.fourfourtwo.com/my/news/pahang-snap-matthew-davies-0|archive-date=19 September 2015|url-status=dead}}
= Perth Glory =
Davies signed for Perth Glory and played in the National Youth League for Perth Glory youth. In 2013–2014 season, Davies was promoted to the senior squad after signing a two-year contract with the club. He went on to make his senior debut against Melbourne City on 27 October 2013. He spent two years with Perth Glory accumulating 16 senior appearances.{{cite web|url=https://www.perthglory.com.au/news/glory-legend-welcomes-young-stars|title=Glory LEGEND welcomes YOUNG stars|publisher=Perth Glory FC|date=7 March 2013|access-date=16 March 2016}}
= Sri Pahang =
In April 2015, Davies signed with Malaysia Super League club, Sri Pahang during the April transfer window. He was signed as a local player based on his Malaysian heritage. He made his league debut in a 2-0 away win against Kelantan on 11 April 2015. In February 2016, Davies became captain of the Malaysia Super League team, Sri Pahang shortly after the season had started. He is the youngest player ever to be given captaincy 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.
Matthew Davies captained Sri Pahang to victory in 2018, becoming the Malaysian FA cup winners. Davies became the youngest captain in the history of the competition to lift the FA cup at just 23 years of age. The year before Davies narrowly missed the opportunity to obtain the credential at 22 years old after losing to Kedah Darul Aman.{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-my/amp/news/davies-dedicates-win-to-pahang-family/rm5emmvjqrdq1fvrsjhxm2sh8|title=Davies dedicates win to Pahang family|author=Ooi Kin Fai |publisher=Perform Group|website=goal.com |access-date=23 September 2018}}
On 15 February 2020, two weeks before the start of 2020 Malaysia Super League season, Davies officially left Sri Pahang after five seasons with the club.{{cite web|url=https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2020/02/565797/davies-leaves-elephants|title=Davies leaves the Elephants|date=15 February 2020 |access-date=15 February 2020}}
= Johor Darul Ta’zim =
Davies joined Johor Darul Ta'zim prior to the 2020 Malaysia Super League season. It was not a surprise Johor snatched Davies after his success in both rival team Sri Pahang and the Malaysia national football team. Johor Darul Ta'zim owner Tunku Ismail Idris stated, “We have been keeping a close watch on him for the last three to four years but we decided to let him get experience with Sri Pahang before joining Johor Darul Ta'zim.
“It's a great investment because he is just 25 years old and it’s a long term investment for JDT to improve the team.
“We are grateful that there is a player who has a professional attitude and quality in our team.”
On 2 November 2023, Davies made his 100th appearance for the club in the second leg of the 2023 Malaysia Cup against Perak.
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 12 to 21 August in 2013.
= Malaysia =
== Under-23 ==
An Australian by birth, he chose to represent Malaysia at the national level. He was eligible by virtue of his mother who was born in the Malaysian state of Sabah.{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-my/news/3896/malaysia/2015/04/08/10562032/transfer-news-pahang-sign-perth-glory-youngster?ICID=AR_FS_3|title=Transfer News: Pahang sign Perth Glory youngster|author=Zulhilmi Zainal|publisher=Goal.com|date=8 April 2015|access-date=16 March 2016}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://global.espn.com/football/malaysia/story/2467209/ong-kim-swee-names-20-man-malaysia-squad-for-sea-games?src=com|title=Ong Kim Swee names 20-man Malaysia squad for SEA Games|publisher=ESPN FC|date=26 May 2015|access-date=16 March 2016}}
== Senior ==
Davies is a regular for the national team, consistently being called up since his citizenship. He has only missed call ups due to injury. He debuted for the Malaysian national team on 8 September 2015 during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Saudi Arabia in a 1–2 lost. He's since made numerous appearances for the Malaysian national team including representing Malaysia at the 2016 AFF Championship.{{cite web|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/malaysia-match-abandoned|title=Malaysia match abandoned|author=Chua Siang Yee|publisher=The Straits Times|date=9 September 2015|access-date=16 March 2016}} Davies was the team captain for the nation's 2023 AFC Asian Cup campaign in Qatar.
Career statistics
= Club =
{{Updated|match played 11 January 2025|{{cite web|url=https://www.soccerpunter.com/players/318559-Matthew-Davies|title=Matthew Davies Statistics|publisher=Soccer Punter|access-date=29 September 2018}}}}
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National cup !colspan="2"|League cup !colspan="2"|Continental{{efn|Includes AFC Champions League and AFC Cup}} !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="3"|Perth Glory
|16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15
|A-League |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 0 | 0 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 16 | 0 | ||
| rowspan="6"|Sri Pahang
|2015 |15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 2016
|Malaysia Super League |20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | colspan="2"|– | 27 | 2 | ||
| 2017
|Malaysia Super League |18 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1 | colspan="2"|– | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2018
|Malaysia Super League |18 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | colspan="2"|– | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2019
|Malaysia Super League |21 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 36 | 2 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!92 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 39 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 157 | 7 | |
| rowspan="6"|Johor Darul Ta'zim
|2020 |Malaysia Super League |6 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2021
|Malaysia Super League |15 | 1 | colspan="2"|– | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2022
|Malaysia Super League |17 | 0 | 3{{efn|One appearance in 2022 Piala Sumbangsih; one appearance in 2022 Malaysia FA Cup}} | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 2023
|Malaysia Super League |23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| 2024–25
|Malaysia Super League |13 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!74 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 112 | 2 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!182 | 5 | 35 | 1 | 49 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 286 | 9 |
{{notelist}}
= International =
{{updated|match played 16 January 2024|{{NFT player|60710|name=Matthew Davies|access-date=12 October 2018}}}}
| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="9"|Malaysia
|2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total | 49 | 0 |
Honours
Sri Pahang
- Malaysia FA Cup: 2018, runner-up 2017
Johor Darul Ta'zim
- Malaysia Super League: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- Malaysia Cup: 2022, 2023, runner-up: 2021
- Piala Sumbangsih: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- Malaysia FA Cup: 2022, 2023, 2024
Malaysia U-23
- Southeast Asian Games silver medal: 2017{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/08/29/sea-games-malaysia-loses-to-thailand-1-0-in-football-final/|title=SEA Games: Malaysia loses to Thailand 1-0 in football final|work=The Star|date=29 August 2017|access-date=30 August 2017}}
Malaysia
- Pestabola Merdeka: 2024
- King's Cup runner-up: 2022
Individual
- Best Young Players: 2015/16{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2015/12/20/rightback-davies-the-only-bright-spark-in-pahangs-dim-season/|title=Rightback Davies the only bright spark in Pahang's dim season|author=K. Rajan|work=The Star|date=20 December 2015|access-date=16 March 2016}}
- Best Defender of the Year: 2017
- Best Defender of the Year: 2021
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerway|matthew-davies/318559|Matthew Davies}}
- {{NFT player|id=60710}}
- {{WorldFootball.net|matthew-davies}}
- [http://www.ultimatealeague.com/player_detail.php?player_id=809 Matthew Davies profile] at Ultimateleague.com
{{Johor Darul Takzim F.C. squad}}{{Malaysia squad 2023 AFC Asian Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Matthew}}
Category:Australian men's soccer players
Category:Australian people of Malaysian descent
Category:Men's association football fullbacks
Category:Malaysian people of Malay descent
Category:Perth Glory FC players
Category:National Premier Leagues players
Category:Malaysian men's footballers
Category:Malaysian expatriate men's footballers
Category:Malaysia men's international footballers
Category:Malaysian people of Australian descent
Category:Sri Pahang FC players
Category:Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. players
Category:Malaysia Super League players
Category:Soccer players from Perth, Western Australia
Category:People who lost Australian citizenship
Category:Australian emigrants to Malaysia
Category:SEA Games silver medalists for Malaysia
Category:SEA Games medalists in football
Category:Competitors at the 2017 SEA Games