# Aleš Matějů

Aleš Matějů (Czech pronunciation:; born 3 June 1996) is a Czech professional footballer who last played as a defender for Serie B side Spezia and Czech Republic national team. He previously played for Příbram, Viktoria Plzeň, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brescia, Venezia and Palermo, and has represented his country at all underage levels.

## Career
### Early club career

Matějů made his career league debut for Příbram on 30 August 2014 in a 4–1 loss away to Slovácko in the Czech First League. He scored his first league goal in the 1–1 draw with Teplice on 17 May 2015 and finished the season with one goal in 15 league matches.
Matějů moved to Viktoria Plzeň in 2015 and became an integral part of the squad, appearing in the starting eleven in 16 consecutive matches and helping Plzeň win the First League title and Czech Supercup in 2016. However, his status in the team was downgraded in the 2016–17 season as Radim Řezník took his place as the first-choice right back. He later signed a three-year contract with English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on 4 August 2017.

### Italy

Matějů spent the 2018–19 season on loan to Italian club Brescia, helping them win the Serie B title and with it promotion to Serie A, and then signed a permanent contract for an undisclosed fee. On 1 January 2022, his contract with Brescia was terminated by mutual consent.
On 10 February 2022, Matějů signed with Venezia until the end of the 2021–22 season, with an option to extend for two more years.
On 26 August 2022, having been released by Venezia, Matějů signed for Serie B club Palermo as a free transfer, reuniting with his former Brescia coach Eugenio Corini. On 24 January 2024, he signed for Serie B club Spezia with an option when the club stays in the Serie B at the end of the season.

## International career

Matějů represented the Czech Republic at all youth levels from under-16 to under-21. He debuted for the Czech senior squad on 7 October 2020 in a friendly match against Cyprus.

## Career statistics

    As of match played 10 April 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1. FK Příbram | 2014–15 | Czech First League | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 1 |
| Viktoria Plzeň | 2015–16 | Czech First League | 17 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| Viktoria Plzeň | 2016–17 | Czech First League | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 1 | 27 | 1 |
| Viktoria Plzeň | Total | Total | 35 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 1 | 52 | 2 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2017–18 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Brescia (loan) | 2018–19 | Serie B | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 0 |
| Brescia | 2019–20 | Serie A | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 32 | 0 |
| Brescia | 2020–21 | Serie B | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 1 |
| Brescia | Total | Total | 75 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 78 | 1 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 125 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 147 | 4 |
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in Europa League