Matheus Cunha’s time at Wolverhampton Wanderers may be coming to an end, but the Brazilian forward will never forget his time with the club. He says he was reborn and “recovered his joy” there after two difficult years and the frustration of not being selected for the 2022 World Cup.
With 13 goals this season, Cunha is three away from scoring the most by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign. The record of 15 is jointly held by Roberto Firmino (for Liverpool in 2017-18) and Gabriel Martinelli (for Arsenal in 2022-23). Clearly Cunha has left behind the sadness of his time at Atlético Madrid and the 25-year-old speaks warmly about the new life he has found in a new country and the gratitude that has come with that.
“Sometimes all we want in life is affection,” Cunha says. “People think we have everything, but we’re human beings, too. We need a bit of understanding – we have our difficulties. Wolves gave me that joy back. The fans [have given] me a lot. The status I have today, the player I am now and the happiness I’m feeling, it’s because of them. I’m really grateful to Wolves.”
Cunha was signed in 2023 under Julen Lopetegui but did not make a promising start, playing 20 games without establishing himself as a starter and scoring only two goals. With the arrival of Gary O’Neil as manager, the situation changed. “Gary understood me completely,” Cunha says. “He came in and said: ‘Man, I think you’re an incredible person, but you need affection. And I’m going to give you affection. I’m going to complain when I need to complain, but I’m almost going to be family for you.’”
After winning Olympic football gold with Brazil at the Tokyo Games in 2021, Cunha left RB Leipzig to join Atlético Madrid, believing the move would help him closer to his dream of playing in a World Cup. But with only 11 starts in two seasons, he was not called up for the tournament in Qatar and endured the most difficult years of his life. He started working with a psychologist and spent time with friends and family to rediscover his passion.
Cunha scored against Argentina in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier but was part of a team that lost 4-1, leading to more criticism of a side who have struggled in qualifying.
