Matt O’Riley joins OM !

✈️ 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐎’𝐑𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 en plein vol(can) 🌋💙
Le milieu international 🇩🇰 pose ses valises à Marseille ! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pqGCybLoJf

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) September 2, 2025

Matthew Sean O'Riley was born in south London, where the scent of tea mingles with dreams of playing on the pitches of the English capital's great stadiums. With his slender build and calm demeanour, ‘Matt’ already embodied this dual culture, that of an English father and a Danish mother. Two worlds, two rhythms, one passion.

Trained at Fulham, young Matt grew up with the elegance of the English game, but with a certain extra soul: that fluid, cerebral quality more reminiscent of Scandinavian schools than English academies. Yet despite his precocious talent, he refused to rush things. At the age of 20, he left Fulham... without a contract. It was a crazy gamble that would pay off.

It was in Milton Keynes, in League One, that fate smiled on him. Far from the glare of the Premier League, O'Riley refined his game, establishing himself as a conductor and making a name for himself with his vision, surgical precision and rare intelligence. He didn't play to shine, he played to make others shine.

In January 2022, Celtic Glasgow opened its doors to him. In the green and white cauldron, O'Riley became more than a player: he became a symbol. A symbol of thoughtful, hard-working, well-constructed football. He racked up assists, important goals and national trophies (three championships, one cup and one League Cup). But above all, he won over a demanding audience with his consistency and modesty.

And then there was the choice of the heart: in 2023, Matt O'Riley answered the call of Denmark. Far from the Three Lions, he preferred the red jersey of his mother's country, the land of Andersen's fairy tales and long winter evenings. He found his place there with uncanny ease. In the Danish national team, he embodies a new generation that is more technical and more cosmopolitan.

Today, at 24, Matt O'Riley is perhaps one of Europe's best-kept secrets. A player without fanfare or glitz, but with rare elegance, a silky left foot and the ability to link up the lines.

Welcome to Marseille, Matt!