Ian Ethan Maatsen (born 10 March 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Netherlands national team.[9] Primarily a left-back, he can also play as a winger.
Maatsen was born near Rotterdam and played for local clubs Sparta Rotterdam and Feyenoord as a child, later moving to PSV Eindhoven where he was scouted by and signed by Chelsea. He made his professional debut for Chelsea in 2019 and played on loan at Charlton Athletic, Coventry City, Burnley, and finally Borussia Dortmund where he was named in the UEFA Team of the Season for 2023–24. He signed for Aston Villa in June 2024.
He played for the Netherlands at all youth levels up to under-21 and was included in the senior squad for Euro 2024.
Maatsen joined Feyenoord's academy at the age of seven, but was allegedly dropped for being too small. He moved to Sparta Rotterdam and then PSV Eindhoven, before joining Chelsea in 2018.[10]
On 25 September 2019, he made his debut for the London club as a substitute in a 7–1 EFL Cup victory over Grimsby Town.[11]
On 13 October 2020, Maatsen joined Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan.[12] On 20 October, he made his league debut for Charlton, coming off the bench as a second-half substitute in the side's 1–0 win over Blackpool.[13] He scored his first senior goal on 2 April 2021 in a 1–0 away win over Doncaster Rovers.[14]
On 30 July 2021, Maatsen joined Coventry City on loan.[15] On 2 October 2021, he scored his first goal for Coventry in a match against Fulham, helping his team to a 4–1 victory.[16] Overall, Maatsen made 40 league appearances for the Sky Blues and scored three goals during the 2021–22 season.[17]
On 15 July 2022, Maatsen joined Burnley on a season-long loan.[18] He made his debut in the first round of the 2022–23 EFL Championship against Huddersfield Town, where he also scored the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win.[19] Following his impressive performances, Maatsen was named the EFL Championship Player of the Month for January 2023.[20] His team eventually won the league and promotion to the Premier League,[21] with Maatsen being included in the Championship Team of the Season as the best left-back.[22]
On 12 January 2024, Maatsen signed a contract extension with Chelsea until 2026 and joined Borussia Dortmund on a six-month loan.[23] On 16 April, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 4–2 win against Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals second leg, helping his team progress to the semi-finals.[24] Borussia eventually reached the final, where Maatsen started the match and made a misplaced pass that led to Real Madrid's second goal in a 2–0 defeat at Wembley Stadium.[25][26] However, he was named in the competition's Team of the Season as the best left-back.[27][28]
On 28 June 2024, 22-year-old Maatsen signed for fellow Premier League club Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £37.5 million, signing a six-year contract.[29][30] On 17 August 2024, Maatsen made his Aston Villa debut as a substitute in a 2–1 opening day victory over West Ham United.[31]
On 12 March 2025, Maatsen scored his first goal for Aston Villa during a 3–0 win against Club Brugge KV in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.[32]
Maatsen was a youth international for the Netherlands, representing the country at all levels from under-15 to under-21.[33]
In September 2023, he received his first call-up to the Netherlands senior team by head coach Ronald Koeman, for two UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.[34]
In May 2024, Maatsen was selected in the 30-man preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2024,[35] but was later omitted from the final squad.[36] However, he was re-called to the Netherlands' Euro 2024 squad on 11 June as a replacement for the injured Frenkie de Jong.[37] On 21 March 2025, Maatsen was called up for the Netherlands senior team once again, after initially being called up for the U21 team, after Jurriën Timber withdrew from the squad with illness.[38] On 23 March, the 23-year-old scored on his debut match against Spain in the second leg of the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A quarter-final.[39]
Born in Vlaardingen, South Holland, Maatsen is of Surinamese descent and also has Indonesian ancestry from Java.[40][41]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea U21 | 2018–19[42] | — | — | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2019–20[42] | — | — | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 2020–21[42] | — | — | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||||
| Chelsea | 2019–20[42] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023–24[42] | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Total | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Charlton Athletic (loan) | 2020–21[42] | League One | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 35 | 1 | ||
| Coventry City (loan) | 2021–22[42] | Championship | 40 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 3 | ||
| Burnley (loan) | 2022–23[42] | Championship | 39 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 4 | ||
| Borussia Dortmund (loan) | 2023–24[42] | Bundesliga | 16 | 2 | — | — | 7[b] | 1 | — | 23 | 3 | |||
| Aston Villa | 2024–25 | Premier League | 29 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10[b] | 1 | — | 45 | 2 | |
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 32 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 173 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 213 | 13 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2025 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2025 | Mestalla, Valencia, Spain | 1 |  Spain |
2–2 | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) |
2024–25 UEFA Nations League A | [44] |
Burnley
Borussia Dortmund
Netherlands U17
Individual
|  | |
_06_(Ian_Maatsen).jpg)
