Matija Sarkic


Matija Sarkic is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Montenegro national team.
Sarkic came through the academy of Anderlecht before signing with Aston Villa in 2015. He has represented the Montenegro at youth level before making his debut for the senior national team in November 2019.

Club career

Aston Villa

Sarkic graduated from the youth academy of Belgian club Anderlecht before signing a three-year contract with English club Aston Villa on 1 September 2015. He was the club's under-21 team's goalkeeper for the 2015–2016 season which saw the club reach the Division Two play-off final. 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.
On 31 August 2017, Sarkic joined Wigan Athletic on a season-long loan deal. In December 2018, he joined Stratford Town on a youth loan.
On 26 June 2019, Sarkic signed for Livingston on what was intended to be a season-long loan. Sarkic was recalled by Aston Villa on 3 January 2020, as their first-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton had suffered a knee injury.
Sarkic was released by Aston Villa at the end of the 2019–20 season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

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

International career

Sarkic represented Montenegro U17 at the 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. On 19 November 2019, he made his debut for the Montenegrin national team under coach Faruk Hadžibegić in a 2–0 friendly win against Belarus.

Personal life

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

Career statistics