New Delhi: Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha is in the form of his life currently and has become a fan favourite at the Molineux given his performances for the club since joining. The pacey, versatile forward, capable of playing as a winger, second striker and as a number nine has been causing opposition teams trouble all season despite Wolves being embroiled in a relegation battle all this time.
He was a thorn in Manchester United’s side last night as the battle between the two new Portuguese managers of the league went in favour of new Wolves boss, Vitor Pereira. The encounter seemed extremely dull and drab till Bruno Fernandes’ third red card of the season sparked life into the game and Cunha took advantage of it. The 25-year-old struck first, swinging in a beautiful corner directly into Andre Onana’s goal to give his side the lead.
This was the second time in three games that Onana let a corner fly directly into his goal, after Spurs’ captain Heung Min Son did the same during their EFL Cup tie. The goal seemed to have killed any hopes of Manchester United earning a point last night but Cunha wasn’t done yet. He was once again present to wrap up the three points and gift them to his new boss as he ran down the field in the final minute of added time to be one-on-one with the keeper but unselfishly slid the ball to Hwang Hee Chan, who slotted it into the empty net to make it 2-0 for the hosts.
Limited chances across Europe
Cunha is a well travelled striker by now, having played in multiple clubs across Europe since starting his career. He started his journey with a stint in Switzerland, plying his trade for FC Sion after signing a professional contract with the club following his youth career in Brazil. He broke onto the scene from an unorthodox club and league considering his samba roots but his performances, even at the young age of 18 didn’t go unnoticed.
In a single season at FC Sion, he contributed to 18 goals in just 29 games at such a young age for a side that finished sixth in the league. His form attracted the interest of RB Leipzig, a club notorious for developing young talents, and the Brazilian was to Germany. However, chances were hard to come by at a club that was filled with up and coming stars but he gave a good account of himself in the limited chances he got. His first season ended with nine goals and two assists in less than 2000 minutes of football.
OFFICIAL: Atletico announce the signing of Matheus Cunha from Hertha.
Throwback to this absurd Puskas contender he scored for Leipzig 🤯
(via @Bundesliga_EN)pic.twitter.com/Bjw28bZKQg
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 25, 2021
Limited chances at RB Leipzig saw him being sold to Hertha Berlin in the second half of 2019/20 season where in just 11 appearances, he scored five and assisted two for the Berlin based side. The following season, his performances were crucial for steering Hertha Berlin away from relegation as he contributed to 12 goals in 27 games in the Bundesliga, helping them finish two points above the relegation spots.
His form at Berlin saw Atletico Madrid come calling for striker and it looked like he’s finally getting the recognition he deserved at a larger stage. Atletico Madrid is a club that is known for developing iconic strikers and his first season at the club went off to a great start. Chances were limited in a star studded team but 14 goal contributions in a little over 1300 minutes was an excellent return. However, the first half of the 2022/23 season saw him get even fewer opportunities, which opened the door for his switch to Wolves.
Finding his feet at Wolves
Non-Penalty goals since start of last PL season:
21 — Matheus Cunha
20 — Phil Foden
20 — Son Heung-Min pic.twitter.com/auvZeJgVCx
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) December 26, 2024
Atletico Madrid have an excellent working relationship with Wolves with both clubs having worked together on deals involving multiple players. Current Liverpool forward Diogo Jota famously joined Wolves from Los Rojablancos while former Wolves wingback Jonny Otto came from the Spanish capital. Wolves’ long serving wing back Matt Doherty had a short spell at Atletico as well which made the deal to land Cunha easy for the West Midlands club.
Cunha joined in January 2023 on a loan with an obligation to buy at around £35 million but didn’t really hit the ground running like he had done at other clubs. In 17 league appearances that season, he only managed to score twice as Wolves finished 13th in the league. Perhaps if the deal included an option to buy rather than an obligation, Cunha might’ve been sent back to Atletico but that wasn’t the case.
In his first full season at the club, he broke the shackles and firmly established himself as a regular starter for Wolves and became an extremely important player in their setup during the 2023/24 season. It acted as a breakthrough season for a forward who had been denied proper game time and he showed exactly what he was capable of when given the opportunity. In just 36 appearances last season, he scored 14 and assisted eight for Wolves, with the highlight of his season being the hattrick he scored in a 4-2 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Single handedly steering Wolves away from relegation
Matheus Cunha in his last 10 league games:
7 goals, 4 assists
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 26, 2024
After helping the club to a mid table finish last season, former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil started this season in miserable fashion. After losing the opening game of the season to Arsenal, Wolves were demolished 6-2 by Chelsea in their first home game of the season but Cunha was once again a sore point for the London club and even scored his first goal of the season against them. While Wolves went into further and further trouble, Cunha continued fighting almost single handedly at times.
Wolves had to wait until November for their first win of the season, a 2-0 triumph over fellow strugglers Southampton and Cunha was the main reason behind that win. Just like he did against Manchester United, he scored one and assisted the other in their first win of the season. They followed that up with a 4-1 win over Fulham where Cunha was again the deciding factor, scoring twice and assisting one more in that victory. He was a huge part of the only two wins Wolves managed under Gary O’Neil before he was sacked and replaced by Vitor Pereira.
His tenure at the club began with a commanding 3-0 win over Leicester City in which Cunha scored once, making sure that he’s scored in every game that the club have won this season. He is amongst the top scorers of the league this year with 10 goals in just 18 games and has assisted another four. Before the arrival of Vitor Pereira, he was fighting the relegation battle alone and whether or not Wolves stay up is yet to be decided but one thing is settled that they will have a huge fight to keep him at the club beyond this season, regardless of where they finish.
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha has been a man possessed since the season started and was the sole shining light for the club, trying to steer them away from relegation before new manager Vitor Pereira joined. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
