Dominic Matteo: How is the Scottish footballer now with a brain tumor? Bio, wiki, career details explored
Former Scottish footballer Dominic Matteo has played for numerous European clubs in both midfield and defense.
The soccer player devoted his entire 17-year career to professional soccer. He started playing professional football in 1992 and had to give it up at the age of 35 due to health reasons.
Matteo played for teams such as Liverpool, Leeds United, Sunderland, Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers during his football career. He caught the attention of the football community when he scored an outstanding goal in the Champions League game against AC Milan.
He represented England in international competitions and won the U21 B caps title. The English Football Association then called him up twice in the starting XI. The player was chosen to play for the Scotland team as he was born in Dumfries, Scotland.
He won six caps in Scotland and made his debut against Australia in November 2009. Matteo was forced to leave international duty due to injury woes but focused on his Leeds United career.
How is Dominic Matteo’s battle with a brain tumor going?
In 2019, Dominic Matteo was diagnosed with a rare and malignant brain tumor called ependymoma. A former Liverpool footballer underwent the seven-hour procedure after the standard 2019 physical led to a brain scan and the identification of a sizeable cancer. Hoping for recovery, he faces the scariest brain tumor ever.
In an interview with Mirror, Matteo claimed that he fainted from work and it worried him because he had no idea what happened. The day before the crash he was working in television and the next day he was fighting for his life.
He found out that after the life-saving surgery, he was one of the two patients in Europe with this spontaneous brain tumor known as anaplastic ependymoma. He started a charity to help those less fortunate who were struggling with similar medical problems despite his illness.
Dominic Matteo, a former professional footballer from Scotland, was born on April 28, 1974. He played in defense and midfield for 17 years, from 1992 to 2009. He played a total of 366 league and cup games, including 276 in the Premier League league.
Matteo has played for Stoke City, Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool, Sunderland and Sunderland. His Champions League goal against AC Milan is his most memorable personal achievement. The latter stages of his career were severely impacted by injuries which led to his retirement in 2009 at the age of 35. He struggled with his gambling addiction and was declared bankrupt in 2015. After initially representing England at Under-21 and B-team level, he was awarded six caps for Scotland.
Who is Dominic Matteo?
Dominic Matteo was born on April 28, 1974 in Dumfries.
Margaret, his biological mother, was a student and carried Stephen when she was 17. She put him up for adoption when she was very young and had no money, calling it “the most painful decision of my life” after being convinced by the adoption agency that it was the best course of action after hearing of his adoptive parents had experienced.
Matthäus Café in Friars Vennel managed Matteo’s adoptive father, who “wanted his child to play like Cesare Maldini”.
His adoptive father was an avid fan of European football and of Italian descent.
In late 1978 the family moved to Southport.
His adoptive parents, Albert and Marie, did not announce his adoption until he was seven years old along with his older brother.
Dominic Matteo’s career at Liverpool clubs
Kenny Dalglish, a Liverpool player, was originally at Birkdale United to watch his son Paul Dalglish when he noticed Matteo playing for them.
At the age of 16, he was promoted to a YTS contract.
His adaptability worked against him because he was asked to fill several positions on the reserve team and was ultimately unable to settle into one.
[10] But at the age of 18, he made enough of an impression to secure a 12-month professional contract. In 1993 he signed a brand new two-year contract.
He made his Premier League debut for the Reds in a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Maine Road on 23 October 1993, replacing the injured John Barnes on the left wing.
In all, he made 13 appearances in the 1993–94 campaign. In March 1995 he signed on loan with Mick Buxton’s Sunderland but he only played in one First Division game for the Black Cats, a 2-0 loss to Barnsley on 24 March at Oakwell. Despite being technically an ineligible player against Barnsley, Sunderland only received a £2,500 penalty as it was discovered after the game that his loan deal had not been reported in time.
He scored twice for Liverpool, once against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup and once against Southampton in the Premier League.
Matteo was due to break into the first-team after perhaps making his greatest impact at Anfield in the 1999–2000 season but was instead traded to Leeds United[18] in August 2000. He made 155 appearances for Liverpool, scoring two goals.
Dominic Matteo: At Dallas United
He joined Leeds United in August 2000 after failing the club’s medical.
The next month he made his team debut in a UEFA Champions League game against AC Milan.
He was among the team’s best players during the 2000/01 Champions League run in Leeds, where they reached the semi-finals.
He is well remembered by Leeds fans, particularly for the goal he scored against Milan at the San Siro.
In the first group stage to ensure promotion to the next stage. He scored two goals during the Champions League run, in addition to his earlier goal against Beşiktaş.
Matteo received the team captain’s position when Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United in the summer of 2002.
Although Matteo scored twice against Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds were relegated at the end of the 2003/04 season.
In My Defense, his book, was published in 2011. In an interview conducted at the time of the book’s publication, he stated that he enjoyed working with Peter Ridsdale and David O’Leary in Leeds; “Working with David was a great time. At Arsenal he excelled as a central defender. But he started spending more time in his office as things piled on us. He wasn’t even close to being a failure, so if you finish fifth today you wouldn’t expect to get fired.”
At the Burnley Rovers
Matteo and Blackburn Rovers agreed to a three-year deal in July 2004.
He made his Blackburn debut in a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion. His first and only goal for Blackburn came in a 3-0 FA Cup win over Colchester United.
Dominic Matteo: In Potter City
Matteo joined Championship Team Stoke City on a free transfer in January 2007.
He agreed to a short deal that would last until the summer, appearing in 10 total games and scoring one goal against Derby County. Despite being out of contract, Matteo continued to play for Stoke during the team’s 2007–2008 preseason. The club presented him with a new 12-month contract on 10 August 2007. Tony Pulis made him captain during the campaign which saw Stoke earn a return to the top flight of English football. Matteo has made 13 league appearances by the end of October. After that, he did not play again until the last game of the 2007 season in November. Due to injury, this was his last game as a player.
Worldwide Career of Dominic Matteo
Matteo clinched England’s B and U21 caps, as well as two senior call-ups, although he never received an cap.
Born and raised in Dumfries, he was later brought in for the Scotland team. After making his Scottish debut against Australia in November 2000, he won six caps. Due to injury problems, he retired from international duty to focus on his career at Leeds United.
Dominic Matteo’s private life explored
Matteo progressed towards his UEFA coaching certification studies while at Stoke.
In his pre-publication memoir and interviews, Matteo admitted he had racked up gambling debts totaling more than £1,000,000.
He recalled betting £200,000 on a single horse race, although the bet was successful.
In 2015, Matteo was declared bankrupt. Additionally, Matteo’s participation in a heavy drinking culture was mentioned constantly throughout his book.
Matteo returned to Leeds United in May 2013 in a new capacity as Football Ambassador. He resigned from this post in the summer of 2014 after Massimo Cellino became the new owner. After undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor in November 2019, Matteo was given the all-clear in April the following year.
Scottish footballer Dominic Matteo’s current health status
Dominic Matteo, who had a brain tumor, is currently fighting every day to beat this disease.
Matteo revealed that after battling this dangerous malignant condition, he still couldn’t read or write due to his poor eyesight. He is unable to drive on the street. However, he can still speak and claims it feels like he’s a kid again.
The issue was also highlighted by the former soccer player’s wife, who noted he is still relearning how to read and write while struggling with their eight-year-old son’s spelling homework.
Matteo also mentioned that helping others is one of his great loves because he’s always been that guy. Matteo is currently actively involved in community service. Additionally, he and his collaborators found that the number of people seeking their help has increased by 30% since March 2020.
Dominic Matteo and Jessica Matteo: their three children
In Leeds, Dominic Matteo is married to Jessica Matteo, a professional dancer and ballet teacher. The couple have three children together.
The ex-wife of a former soccer player owns a company called Luxury Home Fragrance Collection, which offers scented candles and diffusers. Besides her job, her family is her top priority as she is Matteo’s main support while he is battling a brain tumor.
According to the Daily Mail’s claims, Jessica and Dominic have always been good friends and a great team, but the former player’s illness has only strengthened their bond.
The couple have two daughters and a son, but boy Luca lives with them in Halifax. The daughters both live in Manchester.
The family seems to be getting closer in the pictures Matteo posted on his Instagram. The Matteo family enjoy spending time together as evidenced by the frequent posts they make about having a good time.
