Matt Dibley-Dias

Matt Dibley-Dias
Personal information
Full name Matthew Max Dibley-Dias
Date of birth (2003-10-29) 29 October 2003
Place of birth Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Position Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Newport County
(on loan from Fulham)
Number 24
Youth career
2008–2011 West Ham United
2011–2016 Brentford
2016–2024 Fulham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Fulham 0 (0)
2024–2025 → Northampton Town (loan) 2 (0)
2025–2026 → Chesterfield (loan) 4 (0)
2026– → Braintree Town (loan) 0 (0)
2026– → Newport County (loan) 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:47, 29 August 2026 (UTC)

Matthew Max Dibley-Dias (born 29 October 2003) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL League Two club Newport County, on loan from Premier League club Fulham.

Early life and family

Dibley-Dias was born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand to a Brazilian father and a New Zealand mother. He moved to England with his family at a young age.[2][3] He is the grandson of Brazilian footballer Manoelzinho,[4] and is eligible to represent Portugal and Brazil internationally through his father, England and New Zealand through his mother.[5][6]

Club career

Dibley-Dias has been described as "in strong form for Fulham’s U-21 side and as "being touted as a first-team player in waiting".[7] He mainly operates as a midfielder and is known for his long-shooting ability.[8][2]

He joined the youth academy of English Premier League side Fulham at the age of fourteen,[9] and signed a three-year professional contract with the club in September 2021.[2] In 2023 he signed a contract extension to 2027.[10] He received the Johnny Haynes academy player of the year award for the 2022/23 season.[11][12] He has appeared on Fulham's bench four times, including at the end of their 2022–23 Premier League season and for their 2023–24 season opener.[5][11]

In July 2024, Dibley-Dias joined League One side Northampton Town on a season-long loan deal.[13]

In July 2025, Dibley-Dias joined League Two side Chesterfield on a season-long loan deal. [14]

On 25 February 2026, following the premature end to his loan at Chesterfield, Dibley-Dias joined National League side, Braintree Town on loan for the remainder of the 2025–26 campaign.[15]

On 26 August 2026 Dibley-Dias joined EFL League Two club Newport County on a short term loan.[16] He made his Newport debut on 29 August 2026 in the 2-2 League Two draw against Tranmere Rovers.[17]

International career

Dibley-Dias accepted a call-up to play in friendly matches on behalf of the All Whites in October 2023, but was unable to play due to a hamstring injury.[5][18] All Whites coach Darren Bazeley said the injury was a "real shame".[18] The New Zealand Herald noted that Dibley-Dias "has been pursued by Bazeley and New Zealand Football for a long time".[19] He had previously rejected an offer to play for New Zealand at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup due to opportunities with Fulham.[10]

Career statistics

As of match played 30 August 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Fulham U21 2023–24[20] ———2[a]020
Fulham 2024–25[21] Premier League 0000——00
2025–26[22] Premier League 0000——00
Total 0000——00
Northampton Town (loan) 2024–25[21] League One 2000100030
Chesterfield (loan) 2025–26[22] League Two 4000100050
Braintree Town (loan) 2025–26[22] National League 00———00
Career total 60002020100
  1. ↑ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Fulham U21

  • Premier League Cup Champion : 2023–2024[23]

Fulham U23

  • Premier League Division 2 Champion : 2021-2022[24]

Fulham U18

  • Premier League South Division Champion: 2020-2021[25]
  • Premier League U18 Runner-up: 2020-2021[26]
  • Premier League Cup U18 Runner-up: 2021-2022[27]

Individual

  • Johnny Haynes Trophy : 2022–2023[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Matt Dibley-Dias". Fulham F.C. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kiwi midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias signs pro football contract for English club Fulham". Stuff. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Robinson, Nick (29 September 2023). "Squad Yarns & Preview". The Niche Cache. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Matt Dibley-Dias: The Story So Far". Fulham FC. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Voerman, Andrew (22 September 2023). "All Whites secure promising Fulham midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias for October friendlies". Stuff. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  6. ↑ Braga, Thiago (18 April 2021). "Neto de ex-jogador do Corinthians brilha na Inglaterra; seleções já sondam". UOL. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Dibley-Dias on verge of breaking into English Premier League". Friends of Football NZ. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Rutzler, Peter (5 October 2022). "Silva's faith in Fulham's future". The Athletic.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ Vegas, Paul (9 September 2023). "Matt Dibley-Dias delighted penning new deal". Tribal Football. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  10. 1 2 Voerman, Andrew (17 September 2023). "Darren Bazeley eager to meet dual-national prospects around All Whites match in London". The Post. Wellington. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  11. 1 2 Smith, Dom (16 November 2023). "Fulham may have a generational talent as best young stars assessed". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  12. ↑ "Bazeley confirms Fulham teenager will join All Whites for October internationals". Friends of Football. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "Northampton sign Fulham's Dibley-Dias on loan". BBC. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  14. ↑ "Matt Dibley-Dias: Fulham midfielder joins Chesterfield on season-long loan". BBC Sport. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  15. ↑ "Braintree loan move for Dibley-Dias". fulhamfc.com. 25 February 2026. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  16. ↑ Dibley-Dias joins Newport
  17. ↑ Dibley-Dias Newport debut
  18. 1 2 Rollo, Phillip (12 October 2023). "Fulham teenager Matt Dibley-Dias ruled out of All Whites matches". Stuff. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "Teenage Premier League midfielder included in All Whites squad for first time, Sarpreet Singh also returns for October games". The New Zealand Herald. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  20. ↑ "Games played by Matt Dibley-Dias in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Games played by Matt Dibley-Dias in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  22. 1 2 3 "Games played by Matt Dibley-Dias in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  23. ↑ "Fulham U21 v Spurs U21, 2023/24 | Premier League Cup Champion". www.premierleague.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  24. ↑ "Premier League Division 2 Champion, 2021/2022 | Premier League Division 2". www.fulhamfc.com. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  25. ↑ "Premier League South Division Champion, 2020/2021 | Premier League South Division Champion". www.fulhamfc.com. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  26. ↑ "Premier League Cup, | Premier League Cup U18". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  27. ↑ "Premier League Cup, | Premier League Cup U18". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  28. ↑ "Johnny Haynes Trophy, 2022/23 | Johnny Haynes Trophy". www.fulhamfc.com. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2024.


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