A biography for Matthijs de Ligthasn’t been written yet.
“I am very happy at Juve. I feel like a fish in water.”
“Beside Ronaldo, I was impressed by Paulo Dybala and Rodrigo Bentancur: both players with an amazing technique.”
“I know what I can do and what I can give to the Dutch team.”
“We all have our different characteristics and I do not try and copy them but I look at Ronaldo and see what he does, how he stays fit all the time.”
“Every coach has his characteristics but in the end at Juventus we have our DNA - it's about winning. It doesn't matter how and that doesn't change.”
“Football is a really strange sport that can change out of nowhere.”
“At Bayern, I played with Neuer with Muller, serial winners who have won everything, the World Cup, Champions League and Bundesliga. Just looking at these guys and learning certain things from them, it's always so valuable.”
“I went from a kid who did everything well at Ajax to a defender at Juventus, where every little thing I did wrong was seen by everybody.”
“I am Matthijs, I am myself and you will not see me going to training in a tailored suit, it's just that simple.”
“You can play good as a partnership, but if the whole team is playing bad, then it's no good.”
“As long as I have a contract at Ajax, there's definitely a chance I will stay.”
“I already played against Ronaldo at international level and it was tough, but I have fond memories, as it was personally a positive game.”
“I think every player has their own style, so I just try to see things I can improve on.”
“I came to Juventus with the idea of playing more attacking football, because Sarri was the coach and he had a really good name in the world of football, played amazing football with Napoli and Chelsea.”
“I don't have a dream club apart from Ajax. The only dream I had was to play for Ajax.”
“I like the challenge of developing into a good captain and becoming a better captain.”
“The dirty work is so important. People call it dirty, but I find it really nice. To head the ball away, to win duels. I'm quite an old-school defender in that way.”
“In Ajax, it was like, 'you know how to build pressure, but with the ball, you just play - anything you want.' It's all about what the player decides to do for himself.”
“At Juventus they told me that I was bought because I know how to manage the pressure, they trust me for everything I did at Ajax.”
“He did a great job at Juventus, he scored goals and was a great teammate. If you ask me who is the best player in the world inside the penalty area I say Ronaldo. You always have to keep an eye on him otherwise he scores.”