Matheus Cunha is an explosive attacking talent, who has proved his qualities at the highest level.
The Brazilian forward was an exciting acquisition from Wolverhampton Wanderers, on the back of a sparkling 2024/25 season that saw him score 15 Premier League goals for the Molineux club. He had already shown his quality and big personality in spades before that, though. Cunha loved playing futsal while growing up in Joao Pessoa and Recife, before cutting his teeth with Coritiba, following a trial with Santos. During his time there, he crossed paths with United, appearing in a Dallas Cup match against the Reds, and performing well in a 1-1 draw. Aged only 18, he made the difficult decision to leave his homeland and sign for Sion in Switzerland, where his senior career soon flourished. A double-figure goal return in his breakthrough season encouraged interest from RB Leipzig, who recognised his enormous potential. In the Bundesliga, he played under former United interim manager Ralf Rangnick, who was the club's sporting director. “Cunha is a highly interesting striker who, with his age, speed and attacking drive, fits very well into our philosophy,” Rangnick commented upon his signing. An astounding solo strike against Bayer Leverkusen in April 2019, earned a nomination for the FIFA Puskas Award. Once again, he attracted admirers from elsewhere, and he switched across Germany to Hertha Berlin, at the end of the transfer window in the following year. In the summer of 2021, he won a prized possession, an Olympic gold medal with Brazil, thanks to a 2-1 victory over Spain in the final in Yokohama. The forward bagged the opener in first-half stoppage time and was also on the scoresheet in the group game with Saudi Arabia and 1-0 knockout win against Egypt. Later that month, after netting 12 times for the capital club, he sealed a big-money transfer to Atletico Madrid, and quickly made an impact, grabbing a debut goal against Levante. During his spell in La Liga, he was linked with a move to United as he showed his undoubted class, registering six goals and six assists in his 40 appearances for Diego Simeone's side. A loan move to Wolves really thrust him into the consciousness of English supporters, as he caught the eye with his powerful personality and bewitching skills. The deal was made permanent and a hat-trick away to Chelsea was one of his highlights as he adapted superbly to life in the Premier League, emerging as a key figure for the Midlands outfit. A virtuoso display, albeit in a 1-0 defeat, had impressed everybody at Old Trafford on the opening day of the 2023/24 season and he kicked on in the following term, only seven players topped his league output of 15 goals, and, of those, all bar Erling Haaland of Manchester City played more than his 33 appearances. A talismanic presence for Wolves, speculation around his future started before the campaign was out, and United moved quickly to complete a deal for the forward in the summer, one that Matheus said converted a childhood dream into reality.
