Matheus Saldanha

Matheus Saldanha
Saldanha with Neftçi in 2023
Personal information
Full nameMatheus Bonifácio Saldanha Marinho
Date of birth (1999-08-18) 18 August 1999 (age 26)
Place of birthUberaba, Brazil
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
PositionForward
Team information
Current team
Al Wasl
Number11
Youth career
Santos
2016–2019Audax
2018–2019→ Bahia (loan)
2019Bahia
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2020–2022Bahia29(3)
2021→ JEF United Chiba (loan)31(3)
2022–2023JEF United Chiba16(1)
2022→ Chengdu Rongcheng (loan)19(3)
2023→ Neftçi (loan)17(5)
2023–2024Partizan28(18)
2024–2025Ferencváros22(10)
2025–Al Wasl5(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 September 2025

Matheus Bonifácio Saldanha Marinho (born 19 August 1999), commonly known as Matheus Saldanha, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Emirati club Al Wasl.

Career

Born in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Saldanha joined Bahia's youth setup in 2018, initially on loan from Audax.[1][citation needed] On 1 July 2019, after impressing with the under-20 side, he was bought outright and signed a permanent three-year contract.[2]

Saldanha was promoted to the first team for the 2020 season, and made his senior debut on 22 January of that year by starting in a 1–1 Campeonato Baiano away draw against Juazeirense.[3] He scored his first senior goal on 9 February, netting his team's second in a 3–1 away win against Jacobina.[4]

Saldanha made his Série A on 12 August 2020, coming on as a second-half substitute for Rossi in a 1–0 home win against Coritiba.[5] His first goal in the category occurred on 16 September, as he scored his team's second in a 2–3 away loss against Corinthians.[6]

In 2021, Saldanha joined to J2 club, JEF United Chiba on loan transfer. One year later, he was announcement officially permanently transfer to JEF United Chiba has been confirmed after a season as loan player from EC Bahia.

In 2022, Saldanha loaned again to Chinese Super League club, Chengdu Rongcheng for during mid 2022 season. He leave from the club after a half season at Chengdu expiration contract.

He returned to JEF United Chiba for the 2023 season.[7]

Partizan

On 28 July 2023, Saldanha signed a four-year contract with Serbian club Partizan for a reported fee of €1.3 million. Just one day later, Saldanha scored a goal on his debut in a 3–3 draw away at TSC.[8] A week later, Saldanha scored his second goal in a 2–0 win over Vojvodina.[9] In the third qualifying round for the UEFA Europa Conference League, Saldanha scored one goal in the two-legged tie against Sabah.[10] On 27 August, Saldanha scored his third SuperLiga goal in a 3–1 win against Javor.[11] In September and October, Saldanha continued his good form by scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists. On 20 December 2023, Saldanha scored the winning goal in the 171st Eternal derby in a 2–1 win against arch rivals Red Star.[12] Saldanha scored against Red Star again at the Rajko Mitić Stadium on 9 March 2024, as Red Star and Partizan drew 2–2 in the 172nd Eternal derby.[13] Saldanha finished the 2023–24 Serbian SuperLiga having played 27 games and scored 17 goals, becoming its joint top scorer.

Ferencváros

On 3 September 2024, he signed a contract with the Hungarian club Ferencváros.[14] On 15 September 2024, he debuted with a goal in a 3–0 victory against Budafoki MTE in the 2024–25 Magyar Kupa.[15] On 20 September 2024, he scored his first league goal in a 3–1 victory against MTK Budapest at Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion in the 2024–25 Nemzeti Bajnokság I.[16]

On 29 September 2024, he scored a hat-trick against Puskás Akadémia FC in the 2024-25 Nemzeti Bajnokság I at the Groupama Arena.[17][18]

Al Wasl

On 11 July 2025, Saldanha signed to Emirati club Al Wasl.[19]

Career statistics

As of 12 May 2025[20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueState league[a]National cup[b]ContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bahia2020Série A172121002[c]03[d]0343
JEF United Chiba (loan)2021J2 League313—10——323
JEF United Chiba2022J2 League161—00——161
Chengdu Rongcheng (loan)2022Chinese Super League193—00——193
Neftçi (loan)2022–23Azerbaijan Premier League175—30——205
Partizan2023–24Serbian Superliga2717—304[e]1—3418
2024–2511——5[f]2—63
Total2818—3093—4021
Ferencváros2024–25Nemzeti Bajnokság2210—6310[g]1—3814
Career total150421311232143019950
  1. ^ Includes Campeonato Baiano
  2. ^ Includes Emperor's Cup, Azerbaijan Cup, Serbian Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  4. ^ Appearances in Copa do Nordeste
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
  6. ^ Two appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Bahia

Ferencváros

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Bola dentro: Saldanha, um uberabense no EC Bahia" [Ball in: Saldanha, an uberabense in EC Bahia] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Jornal da Manhã. 13 August 2020. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Saldanha" (in Brazilian Portuguese). EC Bahia. 1 July 2019. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Bahia joga mal, Juazeirense perde gols, e times ficam no empate na estreia do Baianão" [Bahia play poorly, Juazeirense miss goals, and teams end up drawing in the debut of the Baianão] (in Brazilian Portuguese). GloboEsporte.com. 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Em jogo com erros de arbitragem, Bahia vence o Jacobina de virada e assume topo" [In a match with refereeing errors, Bahia defeat Jacobina and go top] (in Brazilian Portuguese). GloboEsporte.com. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Rodriguinho marca de cavadinha, e Bahia vence o Coritiba no Brasileirão" [Rodriguinho scores with a Panenka, and Bahia defeat Coritiba in the Brasileirão] (in Brazilian Portuguese). UOL Esporte. 12 August 2020. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Em meio a nova derrota, Saldanha comemora primeiro gol na Série A" [Amidst new defeat, Saldanha celebrates first goal in the Série A] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Correio 24 Horas. 17 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. ^ "成都蓉城足球倶楽部よりFWサウダーニャが復帰【千葉】" [Forward Saldanha returns from Chengdu Rongcheng Football Club [Chiba] (in Japanese). Yahoo!. 4 January 2023. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  8. ^ "TSC VS. PARTIZAN 3 - 3". Soccerway.com. 29 July 2023.
  9. ^ "VOJVODINA VS. PARTIZAN 0 - 2". Soccerway.com. 6 August 2023.
  10. ^ "PARTIZAN VS. SABAH 2 - 0". Soccerway.com. 17 August 2023.
  11. ^ "PARTIZAN VS. JAVOR 3 - 1". Soccerway.com. 27 August 2023.
  12. ^ "PARTIZAN VS. RED STAR BELGRADE 2 - 1". Soccerway.com. 20 December 2023.
  13. ^ "RED STAR BELGRADE VS. PARTIZAN 2 - 2". Soccerway.com. 9 March 2024.
  14. ^ "WE HAVE SIGNED A TOP SCORER BRAZILIAN STRIKER". www.fradi.hu. Ferencvárosi TC. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Budafoki MTE vs. Ferencváros - 15 September 2024 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  16. ^ "MTK vs. Ferencváros - 20 September 2024 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Saldanha mesterhármasával megverte a Fradi a Puskás Akadémiát". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Matheus Saldanha beállt, majd bő negyedóra alatt triplázott a Puskás Akadémia ellen – VIDEÓ!". Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Köszönünk mindent, Matheus" [Thank you for everything, Matheus]. fradi.hu (in Hungarian). Ferencvárosi TC Official Website. 27 May 2025.
  20. ^ Saldanha at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  21. ^ "Tim sezone 2023/24 Mozzart Bet Super lige Srbije" (in Serbian). Serbian SuperLiga. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  22. ^ "NB I: Szeptemberben nem volt jobb a Fradi braziljánál és Tímár Krisztiánnál" (in Hungarian). NB1.hu. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  • Matheus Saldanha at J.League (archive) (in Japanese)
  • Bahia profile (in Brazilian Portuguese)
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