A biography for Matthijs de Ligthasn’t been written yet.
“I think you should be in charge of your own body.”
“I had some experience in Italy. During the first three months, the pressure was really big because I was signed for 75 million and I couldn't make a mistake.”
“When I make a mistake I'm not the type who gets angry if someone says something, I like to joke about it.”
“It's important to know how much I'll play and how much the club trusts me, that's why I picked Juventus because they told me they really wanted me.”
“Criticism and tension are something you must learn to live with.”
“I have been fascinated by the Italian way of defending from an early age.”
“I do not pay attention to anyone, I have to choose my own path.”
“I want to win as many trophies as possible, we want to achieve important goals.”
“I've read autobiographies from Per Mertesacker, Jaap Stam, Sol Campbell, John Terry... you name them, I've read them. It helps me improve my game, drawing on their experiences. They sometimes say things that make you think you're not alone.”
“Ronaldo is the best of his generation and a huge example for young players.”
“Normally I am always self-critical and I can get annoyed about things that I do not do well.”
“Erik ten Hag is not the only reason I joined Manchester United.”
“It's a big challenge for a defender to prove yourself in a country like Italy as a non-Italian.”
“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world and Juventus are stronger with him, but on the other hand it'd be fascinating to face off with him.”
“I dreamed of becoming Ajax captain, but more like at the age of 24 or 25, to be honest. That it came so soon is really special.”
“When I first entered the Continassa training centre I felt like a child in a candy store.”
“In the beginning, many years ago, you had a big centre-half who got to win headers, who was tough, who kicked the ball and said 'Clear it.' Now it's cleaner: you cannot make a rash tackle, because with VAR it's impossible to do that.”
“Fortunately, I can put things aside. I don't get stuck in the negative.”
“I learned a lot from my three coaches at Juventus. Man-marking from Maurizio Sarri, playing out from the back from Andrea Pirlo, and 'pure defending' from Massimiliano Allegri.”
“All I can do is continue to work, to do my best and to try to learn from my team-mates.”