Matija Sarkic

Matija Šarkić (Montenegrin: Матија Шаркић, romanized: Matija Šarkić; born 23 July 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Millwall. Born in England, he represents the Montenegro national team.

Matija Šarkić
Sarkic with Birmingham City in 2021
Personal information
Full name Matija Šarkić[1]
Date of birth (1997-07-23) 23 July 1997[2]
Place of birth Grimsby, England
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.94 m)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Millwall
Number 20
Youth career
0000–2015 Anderlecht
2015–2017 Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2020 Aston Villa 0 (0)
2017–2018 → Wigan Athletic (loan) 0 (0)
2018–2019 → Stratford Town (loan) 6 (0)
2019 → Havant & Waterlooville (loan) 1 (0)
2019–2020 → Livingston (loan) 14 (0)
2020–2023 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 (0)
2020–2021 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 26 (0)
2021–2022 → Birmingham City (loan) 23 (0)
2023 → Stoke City (loan) 8 (0)
2023– Millwall 5 (0)
International career‡
2013 Montenegro U17 3 (0)
2014–2016 Montenegro U19 12 (0)
2015–2018 Montenegro U21 6 (0)
2019– Montenegro 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:30, 24 September 2023 (BST)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:05, 27 February 2023 (UTC)

Šarkić came through the academy of Anderlecht before signing with Aston Villa in 2015. He spent time on loan at Wigan Athletic, for whom he made his Football League debut, non-league clubs Stratford Town and Havant & Waterlooville, and Livingston of the Scottish Premiership, before moving on to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020. He then joined Shrewsbury Town and Birmingham City on loan. His loan spell with Birmingham City was cut short due to injury in January 2022.

He was born in England to a Montenegrin father and English mother, and represented Montenegro at youth level before making his debut for the senior national team in November 2019.

Club career

Aston Villa

Šarkić graduated from the youth academy of Belgian club Anderlecht before signing a three-year contract with English club Aston Villa on 1 September 2015.[4] He was the goalkeeper for Villa's under-21 team who reached the Division Two play-off final in the 2015–16 season. In April 2017, he was named on the bench for a league match against Reading as cover for Sam Johnstone following an injury to Mark Bunn.[5]

Šarkić joined Wigan Athletic on 31 August 2017 on a season-long loan.[6] In December 2018, he joined Stratford Town on a youth loan.[7]

On 26 June 2019, Šarkić signed for Scottish Premiership club Livingston on what was intended to be a season-long loan,[8] but he was recalled by Aston Villa on 3 January 2020, as their first-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton had suffered a knee injury.[9]

Šarkić was offered a contract extension at Aston Villa in 2020 but turned down the offer to look for first-team opportunities elsewhere, having seen experienced 'keeper Pepe Reina brought in as cover for the injured Heaton.[10] Sarkic was formally released by Aston Villa at the end of the 2019–20 season.[11]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Šarkić signed for Villa's Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on 27 July 2020 on a three-year contract.[12]

Shrewsbury Town (loan)

On 2 September 2020, Šarkić joined League One club Shrewsbury Town on a season-long loan.[13] He made his debut on 12 September, starting in a goalless draw away at Portsmouth.[14]

Birmingham City (loan)

Šarkić joined Championship club Birmingham City on 26 July 2021 on loan for the season.[15] With previous first-choice goalkeeper Neil Etheridge still recovering from COVID-19, Sarkic started the opening-day fixture away to Sheffield United and kept a clean sheet as Birmingham won 1–0.[16] He retained his place in the starting eleven even after Etheridge's return to fitness, kept ten clean sheets, and missed only one of Birmingham's 24 league matches. Near the end of what proved to be his last appearance, on 2 January 2022, he dislocated a shoulder throwing the ball out to a defender. The injury required surgery which would keep him out for the rest of the season, and he returned to his parent club for treatment and rehabilitation.[17][18] Despite only being at the club for the first half of the season, he was voted Birmingham City's Player of the Season for 2021–22.[19]

Return to Wolves

Although Wolverhampton Wanderers' goalkeeping coach, Tony Roberts, thought Šarkić's progress would be better served by playing regularly on another loan,[20] he signed a new three-year contract, and technical director Scott Sellars said that he would remain at the club as backup and competition for José Sá.[21] He made his first-team debut on 23 August 2022, in the EFL Cup second-round 2–1 win against Preston North End.[22]

Stoke City (loan)

On 25 January 2023 Šarkić joined Championship club Stoke City on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.[23][24] Sarkic took over from Jack Bonham as first choice keeper until he suffered injury against Sunderland on 4 March 2023.[25] He returned from injury on the final day of the season at Watford.[26] In July 2023, Stoke agreed a fee with Wolves for Sarkic but were unable to agree personal terms and they signed Mark Travers instead.[27][28]

Millwall

Šarkić joined Millwall on 3 August 2023 for an undisclosed fee.[29] He made his debut on 5 August in a 1–0-win over Middlesbrough away.[30]

International career

Šarkić represented Montenegro U17 at the 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[4] He won the bronze medal at the 2017 Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament.[31][32] On 19 November 2019, he made his debut for the Montenegrin senior team under coach Faruk Hadžibegić in a 2–0 friendly win against Belarus.[33] Sarkic made his first competitive appearance for his country in a 2022 World Cup qualifier away to the Netherlands, who won 4–0.[34][35]

Personal life

Šarkić was born in England, in Grimsby, Lincolnshire.[34] His father, Bojan Šarkić, is a Montenegrin diplomat who, as of October 2017, was the country's ambassador to the European Union. He previously served as ambassador to the United Kingdom and to Belgium. His mother, Natalie Šarkić-Todd, works at a European media network. Matija has a twin brother Oliver Sarkic with whom he played during his spell at Anderlecht.[36]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 8 May 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa 2017–18[37] Championship 0000000000
2018–19[38] Championship 0000000000
2019–20[39] Premier League 0000000000
Total 0000000000
Wigan Athletic (loan) 2017–18[37] League One 0020001[lower-alpha 3]030
Stratford Town (loan) 2018–19[40][41] Southern League Premier Division Central 6000—1[lower-alpha 4]070
Havant & Waterlooville (loan) 2018–19[40] National League 1000—0010
Livingston (loan) 2019–20[39] Scottish Premiership 140004000180
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2020–21[42] Premier League 000000—00
2021–22[43] Premier League 000000—00
2022–23[44] Premier League 001020—30
Total 0010200030
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 2020–21[42] League One 26020001[lower-alpha 3]0290
Birmingham City (loan) 2021–22[43] Championship 2300000—230
Stoke City (loan) 2022–23[44] Championship 800000—80
Millwall 2023–24[45] Championship 500000—50
Career total 830506030970
  1. Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
  3. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  4. Appearance in Southern League Cup

International
As of match played 20 November 2022[34]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Montenegro 201910
202000
202140
202210
Total60

Honours

Aston Villa U23s

Individual

References
  1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018: Aston Villa" (PDF). English Football League. p. 2. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  2. "Matija Sarkic: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. "Matija Sarkic". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. "Aston Villa sign goalkeeper Matija Sarkic from Anderlecht". ESPN. PA Sport. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  5. Kendrick, Mat (15 April 2017). "Who is Matija Sarkic: Quick lowdown on the Aston Villa substitute against Reading". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  6. "Alex Bruce and Matija Sarkic: Wigan Athletic sign centre-back and goalkeeper". BBC Sport. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  7. Gibbons, Craig (20 December 2018). "Two new faces at Stratford Town". Stratford Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  8. "Matija Sarkic: Livingston sign Aston Villa goalkeeper on loan". BBC Sport. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  9. Carson, Callum (3 January 2020). "Aston Villa recall keeper Matija Sarkic from Livingston following injury to first choice Tom Heaton". Daily Record. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  10. Jamieson, Stuart (24 May 2020). "Sunderland linked with wantaway Aston Villa goalkeeper". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  11. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 released lists". Premier League. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  12. "Wolves secure Sarkic transfer". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  13. Cox, Lewis (2 September 2020). "Shrewsbury Town sign Wolves goalkeeper Matija Sarkic on loan". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  14. "Portsmouth 0–0 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. PA Sport. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  15. "Matija Sarkic joins Blues on loan". Birmingham City F.C. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  16. Dick, Brian (7 August 2021). "Birmingham City begin with victory at Sheffield United after Colin wins it". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  17. Dick, Brian (6 January 2022). "Birmingham City suffer Matija Sarkic hammer blow and make big loan decision". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  18. "Sarkic's season ended by injury". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  19. "Blues Awards 22 winners revealed". Birmingham City F.C. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  20. Dicken, Alex (6 May 2022). "Wolves respond to Birmingham City interest in Matija Šarkić transfer". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  21. "Sarkic commits future to Wolves". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  22. Keen, Liam (23 August 2022). "Carabao Cup: Wolves 2 Preston 1 - Report". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  23. "Matija completes Potters switch". Stoke City. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  24. "Delighted Alex Neil confirms Stoke City's first January signing". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  25. "Matija Sarkic's message to Stoke City fans after injury update". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  26. "Keeper sends message to Stoke City fans after 'rollercoaster' season". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  27. "Stoke City agree £1.25m transfer fee for keeper". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  28. "Stoke City turn to Bournemouth keeper as 'Matija Sarkic deal falls through'". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  29. "Matija Sarkic: Millwall sign goalkeeper from Wolves". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  30. FC, Millwall (5 August 2023). "Aidomo Emakhu and Romain Esse talk over Millwall's win". Millwall FC. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  31. Veronese, Andrea; Garin, Erik (2 August 2018). "Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament 2017". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  32. "Черногория назвала состав на Мемориал Лобановского" [Montenegro name team for Lobanovsky Memorial]. Dynamomania.com (in Ukrainian). 28 May 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  33. Vukotić, Danilo (6 September 2021). "Pobjeda za kraj godine" [Victory for the end of the year] (in Montenegrin). Football Association of Montenegro. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  34. "Matija Šarkić: Internationals". worldfootball.net. HeimSpiel Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  35. "Netherlands 4–0 Montenegro". BBC Sport. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  36. Pitt-Brooke, Jack (3 October 2017). "Meet the Sarkic twins: born in England, raised in Belgium but trying to make Montenegro history". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  37. "Games played by Matija Sarkic in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  38. "Games played by Matija Sarkic in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  39. "Games played by Matija Sarkic in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  40. "Matija Sarkic". aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk. Aylesbury United FC and Luke Buckingham-Brown. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  41. Chilton, Andy (8 January 2019). "Blues through to the semi-finals after penalty shoot out success over the Poppies". Stratford Town F.C. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  42. "Games played by Matija Sarkic in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  43. "Games played by Matija Sarkic in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  44. "Games played by Matija Sarkic in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  45. "Games played by Matija Sarkic in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  46. "Match report: Aston Villa U23s win Premier League Cup!". Aston Villa Football Club. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
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