It’s clear that Jean-Philippe Mateta is an underappreciated talent in French football—a player whose profile hasn’t been widely documented. Despite being one of the most exciting strikers in the Premier League and showcasing both skill and a knack for scoring goals, his story remains relatively unknown to many soccer fans.
In our comprehensive biography of Mateta, we dive into his intriguing journey and career. So, without further delay, let’s explore the story of his youth and the beginnings of his footballing career.
How Jean-Philippe Mateta Evolved: A Journey from Childhood
Our biography of Jean-Philippe Mateta goes beyond just listing his career highlights. It provides a complete picture of his life, including details about his childhood, early years, family background, lifestyle, personal life, etc. We offer an in-depth look at all the significant events, from his formative years to his rise to fame.
How Jean-Philippe Mateta Evolved: The Untold Story of an Unsung French Star
Jean-Philippe Mateta Childhood Story:
For Biography starters, Jean-Philippe Mateta was born on the 28th day of June 1997 in Clamart, a small commune located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. The footballer was born to a Congolese father and a French mother. His father is a retired professional footballer who played the beautiful game for his country, Congo, as well as Liège in Belgium.
As France-Football puts it, the forward grew up as a calm child who loved putting up smiley faces. Did you know?…. Jean-Philippe Mateta could have been born into a wealthy family if all things had gone well with his dad earlier. We’ll tell you about the unfortunate situation that befell his dad years before he was born.
Family Origins and Challenges of His Father:
The French-born star has a Congo family lineage, one which can be traced to his dad and, possibly, his mum as well. Just like Christopher Nkunku, Congolese blood flows through Mateta’s veins. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s father was once a footballer who played professionally in Congo.
At the age of 22, his soccer career made him leave his family for Belgium. Now, here comes the sad part. Things took a tragic turn in Europe as the unlucky father saw himself battling with a Thigh injury, which abruptly ended his career at that young age.
Family Background:
Jean-Philippe Mateta comes from a lower-middle-class family. Early on, both of his parents worked various menial jobs to support the family. His father, who ended his career at 22, took a job as a security guard in Clamart. This French commune, where Jean-Philippe Mateta’s parents settled, is known for its migrant community due to its proximity to Paris, which is just a 31-minute drive away.
Like Mateta, most footballers of African family roots- the likes of Dan-Axel Zagadou (CB), Allan Saint-Maximin, and Sebastien Haller all spent their youthful years growing up in similar French suburbs close to Paris.
The Struggle between Education and Soccer:
For his dad, having failed to make a name for himself in the game made him see football as an unlucky and forbidden sport. Sadly, this belief became forced on family members. Early on, the hardcore dad insisted his son Jean-Philippe must not compromise his education for anything football or soccer. Speaking about that, the striker once told France-Football.
“When I was young, my father didn’t want me to even touch a soccer ball. Despite my passion for becoming a professional footballer, school never really interested me.”
Did you know?… Among both of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s parents, it was his mum who had a different view. She believed in her son’s desire to continue living the family’s footballing dreams. Thankfully, an opportunity to abandon education finally came.
How Football prevailed over Education:
Mateta’s childhood years took a positive twist on a very fateful day. It was the day he won the battle against his dad’s desires, thereby forcing through his destiny. Giving an account of the story, the footballer once told France-Football. In his words:
One day, when my friends were heading out to play football, I decided to join them. As we were playing, I found myself dribbling the ball a lot. Then, the team’s coach approached me and said, “You need to come and register with us!” I told him that my dad might not be on board with it. So, I gave him my mother’s number. The coach called her, explained that I had potential, and somehow, my dad agreed to let me join.
The youngster started his footballing journey with the neighbourhood club Olympique de Sevran. He then moved to Sevran FC, which is 33.3 km away from his family home, in order to gain youth experience.
The Road to Fame Story:
The presence of a family gene, one that made Mateta grow like a Giant, favoured him right from his childhood years. Because of his heftiness, the young lad was always positioned to play against older opponents. Early on, his dad taught him how to take responsibility and manage pressure while competing against older players.
Although those more prominent players tried to break him, Mateta resisted by scoring and never showing he was afraid. Defying all odds stacked against him, Mateta got projected to (JA Drancy), an academy known to have achieved numerous honours in French amateur football. After impressing there, the youngster then accepted a youth contract with a higher division club (LB Châteauroux).
The joy of his parents (notably his dad) and family members knew no bounds at the time their very own graduated from youth football (the year 2016) with honours. Success didn’t stop there. The teenager began a smooth senior career journey by scoring 20 goals in a single season.
Jean-Philippe Mateta Biography – Success Story:
Seeing his goals, French football giants (Lyon) got tempted, thereby making the decision to sign the youngster. During his time at the French club, Mateta maintained his impressive form, scoring an additional 22 senior career goals while playing for both Lyon and Le Havre on loan.Coming back from a loan in June 2018, the rising star made the most significant decision in his career- Going Abroad. However, the departure of Lacazette from Lyon could have helped. However, the arrival of Mariano Díaz and the presence of Memphis Depay and Nabil Fekir meant more competition for attacking places.
At the time of putting up Jean-Philippe Mateta’s biography, the goal wizard is enjoying a sweet life with Bundesliga club Mainz 05. Since his arrival in mid-2018, the footballer (despite an earlier knee surgery) has lived up to his name as the club’s most expensive signing.
Like Jonathan David, Mateta had lots of goals at a young age. More interestingly, the way he wades off defences has made fans think he is the next Romelu Lukaku in the making.
Just like Romelu Lukaku, he is Big and Strong. More importantly, an outstanding Goal machine- Trans Mkt.
Without a doubt, FIFA lovers and football fans at large are on the verge of seeing another power forward blossoming his way into a world-class talent. From placarded to becoming indispensable, Jean-Philippe Mateta has witnessed a rebirth. He is, without doubt, a man to watch out for among the endless French production line of strikers. The rest, as they say, is now history.
Love Life:
While living the big life in Germany, the tall 6 foot 2 inches striker once sought the consent of his parents to get engaged to his girlfriend. The reason for this was that the 22-year-old felt he was mature and needed to start a family. Getting a wife and having children became a priority.
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the lover boy got engaged to his girlfriend. Pictured below, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s girlfriend is a selfless person who does nothing more than provide emotional support for her man, even though it means putting her own life on hold.
oMeet Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Girlfriend and wife-to-be. – Instagram
Judging by the way they are going, it’s certain marriage could be the next formal step. More so, it’s only a matter of time before they become parents to a beautiful kid(s).
Personality:
In the previous section, we bombarded you with much content about Mateta’s childhood story, biography, and relationship life. Now, here comes a section that would make you ask the question:
Who is Mateta?….. What is his personality off the pitch?…
Getting to know the footballer’s Personal Life -IG
For inquisitive readers, getting answers to the above questions and seeing the photo above would indeed help you get a complete picture of Mateta’s personal life.
First, he is a big dog lover. Secondly, about his personal life, Mateta is someone with introverted and extroverted tendencies. Sometimes, he tends to recharge by spending time alone. Other times, the attacker can be very lively. In summary, Mateta has an ambivert personality. The term means someone with introverted and extroverted qualities.
Lifestyle:
As I write this Bio, the power forward receives a weekly wage of £50,000 and an annual salary of £2,600,000. If you are wondering how he spends his money, then we’ve got you covered.
There is a saying that ‘you’ll always be poor if you spend more than you make.’ Our very own Mateta lives a humble and adventurous lifestyle. In a bid to enjoy himself, he would instead prefer a Spanish seaside life in Tenerife, where he cools off with Dolphins, eats cakes and enjoys nature. Mateta, like Artem Dovbyk, is a typical cancer zodiac athlete.
Getting to know the personal life of the footballer
Jean-Philippe Mateta Car:
Perhaps, you never know, the striker budgets a substantial part of his wealth to meet up with his automobile needs. As observed below, Mateta isn’t shy about showing off his luxurious car to fans.
Jean-Philippe Mateta Car- He is Big and indeed a fan of Big cars.
Moving away from automobiles, tall Jean also loves to enjoy, in a shirtless manner, his two-wheeled adventure bike. Without a doubt, there exist two sides to his personal life and lifestyle.
The striker loves to spend his money buying small bikes- IG
Jean-Philippe Mateta Family Life:
Right from his childhood, the most essential thing in Mateta’s world is his love for family members. As observed below, nothing is better than birthday moments where they get to celebrate the family breadwinner.
Birthday moments are happy moments for the family- IG
About Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Parents:
All thanks for raising a great son; the lucky mum and dad of the French footballer are both well respected among the French black community of Clamart. As observed in the photo above, it appears Mateta’s parents have made conscious efforts to shade themselves from the public.
About Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Siblings:
As far as we can tell, the footballer has a brother and sister who he is very fond of. Jean-Philippe’s dedication to looking after his siblings is similar to the commitment he puts in on the pitch. As a family-oriented person, Mateta made sure his sister took up a soccer agent course so she would represent him as his agent.
Meet Jean-Philippe Mateta’s sister, who represents him as his agent.
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Relatives:
While still working his way up, the footballer didn’t have just his parents and sister throwing their support for him. Mateta also had a relative, who was no other than his lovely aunt. Hello, you reading, can you spot her in the photo below?
A lovely photo of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Mum, sister and aunt as they cheer for him- Instagram
Jean-Philippe Mateta Facts:
Rounding up our childhood story and biography facts, we’ll present in this section facts you never knew existed about Jean-Philippe Mateta.
He has No Love for Football Agents:
Since his early days as a footballer, Mateta has always been an advocate for preventing what he considers ‘Wastage.’
The striker believes football Agents make a lot of money for nothing. Speaking to French media, he once stated why he is not in favour of having an agent. In his words,
“I receive a lot of calls from agents, but I have a lawyer, and that’s all I need. I’m not interested in having an agent. I did have one at a certain point in my career, but now I’m not interested. They usually tell me things I already know.”
As stated earlier, one of Jean-Philipe Mateta’s family members (his kid sister) is being reserved for his agent duties. The truth is, he actually made her study for it.
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Religion:
In case you’re yet to believe, it appears Jean Philipe Mateta’s parents had probably raised him as a Muslim. For your notice, we have photo proof of that. The footballer is shown below after finishing his prayers at the famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which is located in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Jean-Philippe Mateta Religion- The forward just returned from Heikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He is likely to be a Muslim- IG
Untold Facts:
In the final phase of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Biography, we’ll unveil more truths you didn’t know about him. Without further ado, let’s begin.His Football Idol:
Just like Swedish footballer Alexander Isak, Mateta belongs to those who do not see Messi or C Ronaldo as their idols. Because of his tall frame, he believes he can only have one idol- No other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In his words,
“I’m tall and was looking for a striker who is not only fast but also skilled in technical moves and dribbling. What I admire about Zlatan is his incredible scoring ability, which makes him one of the best goal scorers in history. There’s no doubt about that.”
Conclusion:
Thanks so far for reading our story on the Jean-Philipe. While putting up this content on Mateta Biography Facts, our editors were on the watch for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right in this article on Jean-Philipe, please endeavour to leave a comment or contact us.
Aside from Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Bio, we have other related stories for your reading pleasure. The childhood Biography stories of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Veteran Wissam Ben Yedder and Dan-Axel Zagadou will interest you.
