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Matthieu Epolo

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Matthieu Epolo
Personal information
Full name Matthieu Luka Epolo
Date of birth (2005-01-15) 15 January 2005 (age 19)
Place of birth Belgium
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Standard Liège
Number 40
Youth career
Wemmel
Brussels
–2019 Anderlecht
2019–2024 Standard Liège
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2024 Standard Liège B 40 (0)
2024– Standard Liège 13 (0)
International career‡
2021–2022 Belgium U17 8 (0)
2022–2023 Belgium U18 2 (0)
2023 Belgium U19 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:56, 3 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:14, 3 October 2024 (UTC)

Matthieu Luka Epolo (born 15 January 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Standard Liège. Epolo first became known to international football audiences for keeping six clean sheets in his first eight games of the 2024–25 Belgian Pro League season, making him the most successful goalkeeper for shutouts in the top-20 ranked European leagues.[1]

Club career

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Epolo began playing football at KVK Wemmel and later FC Brussels.[2] Epolo came through the youth academy of RSC Anderlecht, moving to Standard Liège at the age of 14 in June 2019.[3]

He made his professional debut on 26 August 2022 in the shirt of SL16 FC, the newly-launched Standard reserve team playing in the second-flight Challenger Pro League for the 2022–23 season. He started SL16's third match of the season against FCV Dender EH, and ultimately shared game-time with SL16's other main goalkeeper Tom Poitoux, who played 19 games to Epolo's 18.

On 25 January 2023, shortly after his 18th birthday and with him being the third goalkeeper for the first team, Epolo extended his contract.[4]

Epolo was promoted to the first-team for the 2023–24 Belgian Pro League season, and played the final five games of Standard's campaign, due to both transfer speculation and an injury for first-choice goalkeeper Arnaud Bodart. He made his league debut on 27 April 2024 against Sint-Truiden,[5] promoted by manager Ivan Leko, amid reports that regular goalkeeper Bodart would leave at the end of the season.[6]

He enjoyed a 1–1 draw at home to Sint-Truiden on his debut, with 20-year-old Mattéo Godfroid on the bench as Bodart was injured, according to Leko.[7] Fewer than 10,000 fans saw his debut at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne due to a boycott of American owners 777 Partners, a situation Epolo said was understandable.[2] Leko said that Epolo would start the remaining games of the season.[2]

Further transfer speculation saw Bodart kept out of the first-team at the start of the following 2024–25 season,[8] with Epolo starting as regular first-choice goalkeeper as a 19-year-old. Epolo kept clean sheets in Standard's first three games of the season against Racing Genk, Club Brugge and KV Mechelen to give them an unbeaten start.[9][10][11]

Epolo went on to keep six clean sheets in his first eight league games of the season[12] with Standard conceding only three goals in that time, scoring four to climb to the top half of the table. This run of clean sheets early in the season put Epolo top of the Belgian Pro League's official clean sheet table, with the best clean sheets record in Europe's top-20 ranked leagues, inspiring Standard to the best defensive record in the Pro League.[1] [13] [14][15]

International career

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Epolo was called up to the Belgium under-17 team for the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Israel. He played all three games in a group-stage elimination.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Geen doelman in Europa hield dit seizoen vaker de nul dan Standard-sluitstuk Matthieu Epolo: "Hij verdient dit na alle kritiek" (No goalkeeper in Europe has kept more clean sheets this season than Standard goalkeeper Matthieu Epolo: "He deserves this after all the criticism")" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 21 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Woos, Loïc (30 April 2024). "Une première dans un contexte particulier pour Matthieu Epolo : "On espérait plus de soutien de la part des supporters"" [A debut in a particular context for Matthieu Epolo: "We were hoping for more support from the fans"] (in French). WalFoot. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Une promesse mauve file au Standard" [A purple promise joins Standard]. La Dernière Heure (in French). 4 June 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  4. ^ Fiammetti, Alexandre (25 January 2023). "Officiel : Le Standard de Liège prolonge Matthieu Epolo" [Official: Standard Liège extend Matthieu Epolo] (in French). WalFoot. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Standard vs. Sint-Truidense V.V. - 27 April 2024 - Soccerway". soccerway.com.
  6. ^ "Du changement et une grosse surprise dans le onze du Standard face à Saint-Trond" [Change and a big surprise in Standard's starting XI against Sint-Truiden]. Foot News (in French). 27 April 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  7. ^ Woos, Loïc (28 April 2024). "Qui sera le gardien du Standard pour terminer la saison ? Ivan Leko n'a pas laissé de place au doute !" [Who will be Standard's goalkeeper to end the season?] (in French). WalFoot. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Leko heeft eindelijk zijn spits(en), maar krijgen we ook een offensiever Standard? "Nu begint het echte werk" (Leko finally has his striker(s), but will we also get a more offensive Standard? "Now the real work begins")" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Blok op de doellijn en paal houden Karetsas en Genk van zege in bleke openingsmatch tegen Standard (Block on the goal line and post keep Karetsas and Genk from victory in pale opening match against Standard)" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Club Brugge verslikt zich nu ook in Standard (1-0) en heeft competitiestart vollédig gemist (Club Brugge now also chokes against Standard (1-0) and has completely missed the start of the competition)" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Standard grijpt naast leidersplaats, maar blijft wel ongeslagen na scoreloos gelijkspel tegen KV Mechelen (Standard misses out on top spot, but remains unbeaten after scoreless draw against KV Mechelen)" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  12. ^ Antoine Bourlon (21 September 2024). "Nouvelle clean sheet pour Matthieu Epolo...qui s'est fait une belle frayeur : "J'ai eu de la chance sur ce coup-là"" [New clean sheet for Matthieu Epolo...who had a big scare: "I was lucky that time"]. Walfoot (in French). Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Matthieu Epolo: Standard Liege's teenage sensation in goal". OneFootball.com. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  14. ^ Sauvage, Kevin (22 September 2024). "Trois buts encaissés, six clean-sheets et une place de choix dans le classement des portiers européens : les bons débuts de Matthieu Epolo au Standard" [Three goals conceded, six clean sheets and a choice place in the ranking of European goalkeepers: Mattheu Epolo's good start at Standard]. Le Soir (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  15. ^ Bleus, Frédéric (24 September 2024). "Préparation intensive, réserves, déclic pendant l'hiver : comment le Standard a façonné Matthieu Epolo, le gardien qui a le plus de clean sheets" [Intensive preparation, reserves, spur during winter: how Standard built Matthieu Epolo, the goalkeeper who has the most clean sheets]. La Dernière Heure (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Buitenspel gezet door corona, maar bomvol talent: alles wat u moet weten over EK van jongste Duivels" [Sidelined by corona, but full of talent: everything you need to know about the European Championship of the youngest Devils]. Sporza (in Dutch). 17 May 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
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