_-_53062949186_(Matt_Oriley).jpg) O'Riley withCeltic in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Sean O'Riley[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2000-11-21)21 November 2000 (age 25) | ||
| Place of birth | Hounslow, London, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Marseille (on loan fromBrighton & Hove Albion) | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2009 | NPL Youth | ||
| 2009–2017 | Fulham | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2020 | Fulham | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Milton Keynes Dons | 49 | (10) |
| 2022–2024 | Celtic | 93 | (25) |
| 2024– | Brighton & Hove Albion | 23 | (3) |
| 2025– | →Marseille (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | England U16 | 4 | (0) |
| 2017 | England U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022 | Denmark U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 2023– | Denmark | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:42, 21 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:47, 12 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Matthew Sean O'Riley (born 21 November 2000) is a professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder forLigue 1 clubMarseille, on loan fromBrighton & Hove Albion. Born in England, he plays for theDenmark national team.
O'Riley joined theacademy ofFulham at the age of eight, having previously played for Teddington-based NPL Youth.[3] He progressed through several age groups, eventually becoming a regular in the club's U18 and reserve sides.[4] He made his first team debut on 8 August 2017 in a 2–0EFL Cup first round away win overWycombe Wanderers.[5]
Over the next two seasons O'Riley featured for the club's U21 side in severalEFL Trophy group matches while on the fringes of the first team. He made hisChampionship debut on 1 January 2020 as a 19th-minute substitute in a 2–1 home defeat toReading.[6] O'Riley left the club in the summer of 2020, having declined a new three-year first team deal amidst rumoured interest from several clubs domestically and abroad.[7]
On 24 January 2021, O'Riley signed forLeague One clubMilton Keynes Dons, having spent six months training with the side as afree agent since leaving Fulham.[4] He made his debut for the club two days later on 26 January 2021, in a 1–0 home defeat toCharlton Athletic.[8] Just a week after joining the club, O'Riley scored his first professional career goal in a 2–0 away win overAFC Wimbledon on 30 January 2021.[9]
After an impressive start to the2021–22 season, on 11 December 2021 he was namedEFL Young Player of the Month for November 2021, a month in which he scored four goals in as many appearances.[10]
On 20 January 2022, O'Riley joinedScottish Premiership clubCeltic on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported £1,500,000 fee after the club met his release clause.[11][12] He made his debut on 26 January 2022, starting in a 2–1 away win overHearts.[13] On 9 February 2022, O'Riley scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 away victory overAberdeen.[14] On 9 April 2022 he scored a brace in a 7–0 home win overSt Johnstone.[15] O'Riley would help Celtic lift the2021–22 Scottish Premiership that year.[16]
On 6 September 2022, O'Riley made hisUEFA Champions League debut in a 3–0 home defeat againstReal Madrid.[17] In September 2023, he signed a new four-year contract with the club.[18] On 20 October 2023, O' Riley was namedScottish Premiership Player of the Month for the month of September. In April 2024, he was named in thePFA Scottish Premiership Team of the Year for the 2023–24 campaign.[19] A month later he was voted Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year for the2023–24 season at the club's annual awards ceremony, topping off a successful season in which he went on to claim his third successive league title with Celtic.[20]
On 26 August 2024, O'Riley joinedPremier League clubBrighton & Hove Albion for a fee of £25 million, signing a contract until June 2029.[21] He made his debut the next day, starting in aEFL Cup tie againstCrawley Town, but after a nasty tackle was injured nine minutes into the game and forced to come off.[22] O'Riley subsequently underwent ankle surgery, with Brighton chairmanTony Bloom confirming that it was hoped he would return to full fitness "at some point in the latter part of the year."[23] On 9 November 2024, O'Riley scored his first goal for Brighton on his Premier League debut in a 2–1 league win over defending championsManchester City.[24] His first season was a frustrating one, failing to complete 90 minutes once.[25]
On 2 September 2025,Ligue 1 sideMarseille announced the season-long loan signing of O'Riley.[26] He made his debut againstLorient in a 4-0 victory, coming off the bench. He scored his first goal againstMetz.
O'Riley was anEngland youth international. Apart from England, he is eligible to representDenmark due to his maternal family.[27] In February 2022, O'Riley declared his interest in representing Denmark internationally when he stated that: "I played for England youth teams but at the same time, I do feel quite Danish. My mum is Danish and I can speak a decent amount and I can understand a very good amount. In that sense, I don't think it is out of the question at all. If I did get a call up from Denmark, I don't think I'd be saying no".[28]
In March 2022, O'Riley was called up to theDenmark under-21 for the first time.[29] On 14 June 2022, O'Riley scored his first goal againstTurkey in a2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification which Denmark won 3–2.[30][31]
On 20 November 2023, O'Riley made his senior debut for Denmark, starting in aUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match againstNorthern Ireland.[32][33] Despite his fantastic form for Celtic, he was controversially left out of the 26-man squad forthe finals in Germany. Denmark managerKasper Hjulmand said: "Matt has been a really good player, he's had a great season. He played well and I understand the question. I have chosen six other midfielders but it was tight. I have chosen six players that we can move around a bit.Mikkel Damsgaard andAndreas Christensen can also cover positions in the midfield. It has gone beyond Matt, but it was a difficult choice. I know he will play a lot of international matches. He couldn't have done anything differently [to earn a place in the squad]. He could hardly do better than what he did this season."[34]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fulham U21 | 2017–18[35] | — | — | — | — | 3[c] | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2018–19[36] | — | — | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2019–20[37] | — | — | — | — | 2[c] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||||||
| Fulham | 2017–18[35] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[36] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20[37] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2020–21[38] | League One | 23 | 3 | — | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | 24 | 3 | |||
| 2021–22[39] | League One | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 30 | 7 | ||
| Total | 49 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 54 | 10 | |||
| Celtic | 2021–22[39] | Scottish Premiership | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | — | 20 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23[40] | Scottish Premiership | 38 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 52 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24[41] | Scottish Premiership | 37 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 49 | 19 | ||
| 2024–25[42] | Scottish Premiership | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 93 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0 | — | 124 | 27 | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2024–25[42] | Premier League | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 2 | ||
| 2025–26[43] | Premier League | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 3 | ||||
| Marseille (loan) | 2025–26[43] | Ligue 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Career total | 176 | 39 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 229 | 41 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | |
Celtic
Individual
