| Matheus França | |
| Birth Date: | 1 April 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Height: | 1.82 m |
| Position: | Attacking midfielder, forward |
| Currentclub: | Crystal Palace |
| Clubnumber: | 11 |
| Youthclubs1: | Olaria |
| Youthyears2: | 2017–2022 |
| Youthclubs2: | Flamengo |
| Years1: | 2021–2023 |
| Clubs1: | Flamengo |
| Caps1: | 42 |
| Goals1: | 7 |
| Years2: | 2023– |
| Clubs2: | Crystal Palace |
| Caps2: | 10 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | Brazil U16 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2022– |
| Nationalteam2: | Brazil U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 2 March 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 18 January 2023 |
Matheus França de Oliveira (born 1 April 2004) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Premier League club Crystal Palace.
França arrived at Flamengo at the age of 12, after being one of the highlights of Olaria. At Flamengo youth team he has been considered, alongside Lázaro, one of the club's greatest young players after Vinícius Júnior.[1]
França debuted in the Flamengo's professional team on 6 December 2021 in a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A match against Santos at Maracanã Stadium, he replaced Éverton Ribeiro on the 78th minute.[2] He had a €200 million release clause in his Flamengo contract. [3]
On 25 January 2022, Flamengo extended França's contract until 30 April 2027.[4] On 23 February 2023, França extended his contract with Flamengo until 31 December 2028.[5]
On 1 August 2023, it was reported that Flamengo negotiated França's potential transfer to Premier League club Crystal Palace, for a reported fee around €20 million (about R$104 million), plus €5m in bonuses.[6] On 5 August, França officially joined Crystal Palace on a five-year contract.[7] On 21 October, he made his debut for the club in a 4–0 loss against Newcastle United.[8]
França made his first start for the club on 4 January 2024 in a 0–0 draw with Everton in the third round of the FA Cup and was voted man of the match by Palace supporters following his performance.[9] [10] On 24 February, he registered his first assist for the club in a 3–0 win against Burnley, setting up a goal for Jordan Ayew. He also won a penalty in the same match which was subsequently scored by Jean-Philippe Mateta.[11]
França has played internationally for Brazil at under-16 level with six appearances.
França has made three appearances for the Brazil U20 team. He was called-up to represent Brazil at the 2023 South American U-20 Championship, but Flamengo asked for his release to play in the FIFA Club World Cup.[12]
| Club | Season | League | State league | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Flamengo | 2021 | Série A | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2022 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 23 | 6 | ||||
| 2023 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 3 | |||
| Total | 27 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 9 | |||
| Crystal Palace | 2023–24 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Crystal Palace F.C. | Crystal Palace | 2024–25 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 37 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 64 | 9 | |||
Flamengo