Matheus Cunha returns to the Metropolitano as a Champions League opponent, carrying a different status from the forward who left Atlético Madrid in January 2023. Manchester United’s Brazilian No. 9 will face Diego Simeone with a chance to show how far he has travelled since an encouraging but incomplete spell in red and white.
| Period | Club | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Atlético Madrid | 7 goals, 4 assists |
| Start of 2022-23 | Atlético Madrid | 17 appearances, no goals |
| 2024-25 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 17 goals |
| First Manchester United season | Manchester United | 35 matches, 10 goals, 2 assists |
| Current season | Manchester United | 8 matches, 2 goals, 2 assists |
Cunha is expected to arrive as Brazil’s first-choice centre-forward, although his game remains defined as much by link play and combination football as by finishing. For Simeone, he represents a rare former Atlético player who passed the demanding early test under the Argentine yet found his decisive rise elsewhere.
A promising Atlético spell that did not become permanent
Atlético signed Cunha in 2021, when he was 22, shortly after their league title. Recruited from Hertha Berlin, he was viewed as a developing striker who could gradually provide an alternative to Luis Suárez.
His sole full campaign brought seven goals and four assists. Initially used regularly from the bench, Cunha increasingly competed with Suárez for a place, even after Antoine Griezmann had returned to the squad. There were enough moments to suggest Atlético had a player of considerable potential, but not enough to establish him as an untouchable figure.
The following season moved in the wrong direction. Cunha played 17 times without scoring before his departure was settled in the January 2023 window. João Félix also left Atlético for England that month, joining Chelsea, while Memphis Depay arrived in Madrid to fill the attacking vacancy created by Cunha’s exit.
England turned potential into influence
Wolves took Cunha on loan and subsequently activated a €30 million purchase option. His development in the Premier League transformed both his output and his market standing, with his value now placed at €75 million by Transfermarkt.
The 17-goal campaign of 2024-25 persuaded Manchester United to spend close to €75 million on the Brazilian. His first season at Old Trafford produced 10 goals and two assists across 35 appearances, and he has added two goals and two assists in eight outings this term.
He does not return to Madrid as a conventional penalty-box specialist. Cunha is instead a forward whose threat comes from mobility, connections with team-mates and the ability to carry attacks forward. But on a Champions League night at the Metropolitano, those qualities give him an opportunity to confront the coach and club that once saw his promise without ever seeing its full outcome.
