Matt Dibley-Dias

Matt Dibley-Dias
Personal information
Full name Matthew Max Dibley-Dias
Date of birth (2003-10-29) 29 October 2003 (age 22)
Place of birth Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Position Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Braintree Town
(on loan from Fulham)
Youth career
2008–2011 West Ham United
2011–2016 Brentford
2016–2024 Fulham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Fulham 0 (0)
2024–2025 → Northampton Town (loan) 2 (0)
2025–2026 → Chesterfield (loan) 4 (0)
2026– → Braintree Town (loan) 0 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:05, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Matthew Max Dibley-Dias (born 29 October 2003) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for National League club Braintree Town on loan from Fulham.

Early life and family

Dibley-Dias was born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand to a Brazilian father and a New Zealand mother. He moved to England with his family at a young age.[2][3] He is the grandson of Brazilian footballer Manoelzinho,[4] and is eligible to represent Portugal and Brazil internationally through his father, England and New Zealand through his mother.[5][6]

Club career

Dibley-Dias has been described as "in strong form for Fulham’s U-21 side and as "being touted as a first-team player in waiting".[7] He mainly operates as a midfielder and is known for his long-shooting ability.[8][2]

He joined the youth academy of English Premier League side Fulham at the age of fourteen,[9] and signed a three-year professional contract with the club in September 2021.[2] In 2023 he signed a contract extension to 2027.[10] He received the Johnny Haynes academy player of the year award for the 2022/23 season.[11][12] He has appeared on Fulham's bench four times, including at the end of their 2022–23 Premier League season and for their 2023–24 season opener.[5][11]

In July 2024, Dibley-Dias joined League One side Northampton Town on a season-long loan deal.[13]

In July 2025, Dibley-Dias joined League Two side Chesterfield on a season-long loan deal. [14]

On 25 February 2026, following the premature end to his loan at Chesterfield, Dibley-Dias joined National League side, Braintree Town on loan for the remainder of the 2025–26 campaign.[15]

International career

Dibley-Dias accepted a call-up to play in friendly matches on behalf of the All Whites in October 2023, but was unable to play due to a hamstring injury.[5][16] All Whites coach Darren Bazeley said the injury was a "real shame".[16] The New Zealand Herald noted that Dibley-Dias "has been pursued by Bazeley and New Zealand Football for a long time".[17] He had previously rejected an offer to play for New Zealand at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup due to opportunities with Fulham.[10]

Career statistics

As of match played 30 August 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fulham U21 2023–24[18] — — — 2[a] 0 2 0
Fulham 2024–25[19] Premier League 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2025–26[20] Premier League 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Northampton Town (loan) 2024–25[19] League One 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0
Chesterfield (loan) 2025–26[20] League Two 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 0
Braintree Town (loan) 2025–26[20] National League 0 0 — — — 0 0
Career total 6 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 10 0
  1. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Fulham U21

Fulham U23

Fulham U18

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Matt Dibley-Dias". Fulham F.C. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Kiwi midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias signs pro football contract for English club Fulham". Stuff. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  3. ^ Robinson, Nick (29 September 2023). "Squad Yarns & Preview". The Niche Cache. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Matt Dibley-Dias: The Story So Far". Fulham FC. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Voerman, Andrew (22 September 2023). "All Whites secure promising Fulham midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias for October friendlies". Stuff. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  6. ^ Braga, Thiago (18 April 2021). "Neto de ex-jogador do Corinthians brilha na Inglaterra; seleções já sondam". UOL. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Dibley-Dias on verge of breaking into English Premier League". Friends of Football NZ. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  8. ^ Rutzler, Peter (5 October 2022). "Silva's faith in Fulham's future". The Athletic.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ^ Vegas, Paul (9 September 2023). "Matt Dibley-Dias delighted penning new deal". Tribal Football. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  10. ^ a b Voerman, Andrew (17 September 2023). "Darren Bazeley eager to meet dual-national prospects around All Whites match in London". The Post. Wellington. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  11. ^ a b Smith, Dom (16 November 2023). "Fulham may have a generational talent as best young stars assessed". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Bazeley confirms Fulham teenager will join All Whites for October internationals". Friends of Football. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Northampton sign Fulham's Dibley-Dias on loan". BBC. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Matt Dibley-Dias: Fulham midfielder joins Chesterfield on season-long loan". BBC Sport. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Braintree loan move for Dibley-Dias". fulhamfc.com. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  16. ^ a b Rollo, Phillip (12 October 2023). "Fulham teenager Matt Dibley-Dias ruled out of All Whites matches". Stuff. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Teenage Premier League midfielder included in All Whites squad for first time, Sarpreet Singh also returns for October games". The New Zealand Herald. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Games played by Matt Dibley-Dias in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Games played by Matt Dibley-Dias in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  20. ^ a b c "Games played by Matt Dibley-Dias in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Fulham U21 v Spurs U21, 2023/24 | Premier League Cup Champion". www.premierleague.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Premier League Division 2 Champion, 2021/2022 | Premier League Division 2". www.fulhamfc.com. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  23. ^ "Premier League South Division Champion, 2020/2021 | Premier League South Division Champion". www.fulhamfc.com. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Premier League Cup, | Premier League Cup U18". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  25. ^ "Premier League Cup, | Premier League Cup U18". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Johnny Haynes Trophy, 2022/23 | Johnny Haynes Trophy". www.fulhamfc.com. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Dibley-Dias