Matty Virtue

Matty Virtue
Personal information
Full name Matthew Joseph Virtue-Thick
Date of birth (1997-05-02) 2 May 1997 (age 29)
Place of birth Epsom, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Swindon Town
Number 24
Youth career
–2006 Chelsea
2008–2017 Liverpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2019 Liverpool 0 (0)
2018 → Notts County (loan) 13 (0)
2019–2024 Blackpool 84 (7)
2022–2023 → Lincoln City (loan) 30 (3)
2024–2026 Fleetwood Town 75 (12)
2026– Swindon Town 5 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:30, 17 October 2026 (UTC)

Matthew Joseph Virtue-Thick (born 2 May 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Swindon Town. He has previously played for Liverpool, Notts County, and Fleetwood Town.

Career

Virtue joined Liverpool at under-11 level, having played with Chelsea until the age of 9. He moved on loan to Notts County in January 2018.

He was named captain of Liverpool's Under-23 team in October 2018. In January 2019, he signed for Blackpool. He scored his first professional goal against Accrington Stanley on 5 March 2019.

On 16 October 2020, Virtue signed a new two-year contract with Blackpool. In December 2020 he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to self-isolate, missing matches. In October 2021 he extended his contract for a further year.

He moved on loan to Lincoln City on 1 September 2022. He made his debut coming off the bench against Cambridge United on 3 September 2022. He scored his first goal for Lincoln City against Bristol Rovers in a 6–3 win on 17 September 2022. After a period injured, he returned to the Lincoln first-team.

Following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, Blackpool confirmed that Virtue would be departing the club upon the expiration of his contract.

Virtue signed for Fleetwood Town on 1 July 2024. On 15 May 2026, the club announced he would be leaving in the summer when his contract expired.

In June 2026 it was announced that he would sign for Swindon Town on 1 July 2026.

Career statistics

As of match played 17 October 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Liverpool 2017–18 Premier League 0000000000
2018–19 Premier League 0000000000
Total 0000000000
Notts County (loan) 2017–18 League Two 130100010150
Blackpool 2018–19 League One 133000000133
2019–20 League One 242410030313
2020–21 League One 162201010202
2021–22 Championship 3000000030
2022–23 Championship 3000000030
2023–24 League One 250202051341
Total 8478130911049
Lincoln City (loan) 2022–23 League One 303102130364
Fleetwood Town 2024–25 League Two 419103020479
2025–26 League Two 343301040423
Total 75124040608912
Swindon Town 2026–27 League Two 5000101070
Career total 2072314110120125125
  1. 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

References

  1. ↑ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Matty Virtue". Lincoln City F.C. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "Liverpool release seven players as they submit retained squad list to Premier League" – Liverpool Echo, 9 June 2017
  4. ↑ "Profile". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Matty Virtue: Liverpool midfielder joins Notts County". BBC Sport. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "Gini's delight, Shaq eyes glory, and Juve want Origi – Monday's Liverpool FC News Roundup". This Is Anfield. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  7. ↑ "Blackpool: Matty Virtue joins from Liverpool and Antony Evans on loan from Everton". BBC Sport. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  9. ↑ Match Preview: Crewe Alexandra (A) – Blackpool F.C., 16 October 2020
  10. ↑ "Maxwell and Virtue Return Positive COVID-19 Tests". www.blackpoolfc.co.uk.
  11. ↑ "Virtue Signs New Deal" – Blackpool F.C., 19 October 2021
  12. ↑ "Virtue joins Lincoln on season loan from Blackpool". BBC Sport.
  13. ↑ "Cambridge United 2 Imps 0" – via Lincoln City FC.
  14. ↑ "Blackpool winger making waves on the South Coast with League One Portsmouth" – via Blackpool Gazette.
  15. ↑ Allen, Sam (14 March 2023). "Matty Virtue on Lincoln City injury return as he weighs up long-term future". LincolnshireLive.
  16. ↑ "Retained List Confirmed". www.blackpoolfc.co.uk. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  17. ↑ "Matty Virtue: Blackpool midfielder joins Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport. 31 May 2024.
  18. ↑ "Fleetwood Town: Ched Evans among three players offered new contracts". BBC Sport. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Matty Virtue joins Swindon Town after leaving Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport. 29 June 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  22. ↑ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  23. ↑ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  24. 1 2 "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  25. ↑ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  26. ↑ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  27. ↑ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  28. ↑ "Games played by Matty Virtue in 2026/2027". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 July 2026.