Mattias Fanimo

DOB: 28th January 1994

Position: Winger

Season of first appearance: 2016/17

Season of last appearance: 2016/17

Full Appearances: 4

Substitute: 7

Goals: 1

Also played for:

West Ham United, Tranmere Rovers, Bishop’s Stortford, Eastleigh, Hornchurch, Drava Ptuj (Slovenia), Mladost Doboj Kakanj (Bosnia), Sarajevo (Bosnia), Slaven Belupo (Croatia), Koper (Slovenia), Ebbsfleet United, Folkestone Invicta

Player Profile:

Born in Lambeth, stocky winger Matthias was a youth team player at West Ham United and signed a professional contract in the summer of 2011. He made his first-team debut for the Hammers on 28.8.12 at Upton Park versus Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup as a sub in a tie that West Ham won 2-0. He made another sub appearance in the next round against Wigan in a 4-1 defeat at Upton Park on 25.9.12. His third and final game for the Hammers was again as a sub in a 5-0 FA Cup defeat at Nottingham Forest on 5.1.14.

Mattias had played for England at under-16, under-17 and under-18 level. He made his debut for the under-16 side on 28.11.08 against Scotland U16 in the Victory Shield, which England won 2–0. He scored his first goal at U16 level against Northern Ireland on 5.11.09 in a 2-0 win. He made his debut at under-17 level on 3.8.10 against Finland, and his under-18 debut on 15.11.11 in a 1-1 draw in Slovakia.

In May 2014, Mattias was dubbed the joint fastest footballer in the world along with Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia after GPS tracking systems were used to measure players' speeds. Among players at other clubs left in Mattias' slipstream were Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In September 2014, Mattias went on loan to League Two Tranmere Rovers. He made one appearance for Tranmere, coming on as a sub in a 1-0 defeat at Carlisle United on 27.9.2014.

Mattias was released by West Ham in February 2015 and had brief spells at Bishop’s Stortford and Eastleigh.

In June 2016, Fanimo signed for Margate and played in the Thanet Cup matches against Ramsgate in pre-season.

Manager Nikki Bull said: “Matty’s 22 and he's exactly the right profile for what we want. He does not just tick some of the boxes, he ticks all of them. He will add genuine pace on the wing, which is something we didn’t have last season.

“He's another one who has had a taste of the pro game and he’s desperate to get back there. He’s working with a personal trainer and you only have to look at what he’s done over the summer to see how serious he is. Some of the sessions are mind-blowing. He's coming to us in A1 condition and he knows that to fulfil his potential he needs to be playing regularly. I think we can give him that platform.”

However, Mattias suffered an injury in pre-season. It was feared he had ruptured his Achilles and would need an operation but it was reported that was not the case and he would be out for just a few weeks.

However, his next appearance was not until Boxing Day in a 3-0 defeat at home to Welling United when he played as a sub. He came off the bench in the next four games before starting in a 1-0 loss at Hampton & Richmond on 11.2.17.

Mattias scored once for Margate as a sub in a 2-3 defeat at Hemel Hempstead on 18.3.17.

Following Margate’s relegation, Mattias was among the players released. He started 2017-18 with Hornchurch.

In January 2018, Mattias joined Slovenian Second League club Drava Ptuj. A year later, he left Drava and signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Bosnian Premier League club Mladost Doboj Kakanj.

In July 2020, Mattias signed a three-year contract with Sarajevo for a transfer fee said to be €50,000. On 1.10.20, he played in a Europa League qualifying play-off against Celtic that the Scottish side won 1-0.

He won the Bosnian Cup with Sarajevo on 26.5.21 who beat Borac Banja Luka on penalties in the final.

In February 2022, Sarajevo terminated its contract with Mattias due to alleged indiscipline.

In June 2022, Mattias signed for Croatian club Slaven Belupo on a free transfer. He left in December 2022 following the termination of his contract by mutual consent.

Mattias then returned to Slovenia and signed a contract with top flight side Koper until June 2024.

However, in summer 2023, Mattias returned to England to join National League side Ebbsfleet United. He was released by the Fleet at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Mattias signed for Isthmian Premier side Folkestone Invicta for 2024-25.