There is a new goalkeeper at Paris Saint-Germain, one more competitor for Gianluigi Donnarumma. PSG announced the hiring of Matvey Safonov outright from Krasnodar (according to various media, the purchase price is around 20 million). Below is the official press release from the French club: “Paris Saint-Germain is pleased to announce the signing of Matvey Safonov. The 25-year-old goalkeeper has signed with the Club until 2029.
Born in Stavropol (Russia) on 25 February 1999, Matvey Safonov, 25 years old, cut his teeth in the youth categories of FK Krasnodar, in southern Russia. The goalkeeper rose through the club’s various hierarchies, notably through the reserve team (Krasnodar 2), until his great debut in the Premier-Liga (Russian first division) against Amkar Perm, in August 2017. During the year 2018-2019, the 1.92m goalkeeper played in goal for the Byki first team (Les Taureaux) 21 times, including 5 in the Europa League. Matvey Safonov continues his momentum in 2019-2020, making 33 appearances in all competitions. In the following season, he discovered the Champions League in a particularly difficult group, with Chelsea, Sevilla FC and Rennes. He was also decisive against the Bretons, allowing his team to leave Roazhon Park with the equalizer (1-1).
Also recognized for his leadership qualities, Safonov, captain of his team since 2020, has made 175 appearances for 53 clean sheets with his training club. In 2023-2024 he largely contributed to Krasnodar’s excellent run, finishing the championship in second place, one point behind Zenit St. Petersburg. Safonov also attracted the attention of his country’s youth teams from the age of 14, progressing through all age categories starting from the U15 level in 2014. He then made his debut for the Russian team in a friendly against Poland ( 1-1) in June 2021, before facing Finland (1-0) and Denmark (1-4) during the group stage of Euro 2020. To date he has 14 caps for the national team.”
