Nemanja Matic
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Nemanja Matic won the Premier League twice with Chelsea but his most famous moment in a blue shirt happened in the FA Cup at Wembley.
Matic enjoyed significant success in his second Chelsea spell but the Blues were unable to add to their FA Cup win during his first. Under Antonio Conte in 2016-17, they came agonisingly close.
Nemanja Matic on scoring a Wembley wondergoal
Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic Matic sealed a place in the final with a left-footed rocket from 25 yards. Wembley has seen few better.
“I thought, ‘Let’s try it. Why not?’ I had to shoot at least once in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley,” Matic tells FourFourTwo.
“It was unbelievable. But the best thing was that five minutes later, I could see one part of Wembley was empty, because the Spurs fans went home – and that was because of me! It will always be one of the best goals scored at Wembley, because it couldn’t be any better!”
Matic’s expression in the aftermath revealed that he knew exactly what he’d done but it was to be Chelsea’s peak in the FA Cup that season.
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The Blues were beaten in the final by London rivals Arsenal when Aaron Ramsey dealt a hammer blow after Diego Costa’s second-half equaliser.
Conte, Matic and Chelsea had to settle instead for the club’s sixth league title. They haven’t yet been able to add a seventh.
Chelsea went all the way and won the FA Cup the following season but Matic played against them in the final for Manchester United.
Nemanja Matic Now 37, Matic is still playing regular football for Sassuolo in Serie A, where he has also played for Roma since leaving the Premier League.
He has also played in Ligue 1 for Rennes and Lyon since turning 30 and is showing few signs of calling time on his playing career.
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