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Press and Journal
03-06-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester signs new four-year deal
Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester has signed a contract extension to keep him at Pittodrie until 2029. The Dutch central defender joined the Dons on a two-and-a-half year contract in January with an option for an extra year. But the 26 year-old's displays for Jimmy Thelin's side had led to him signing a new four-year deal with the Scottish Cup winners. Dons boss Thelin said: 'Mats has been an outstanding addition to our squad, both on and off the pitch, since his arrival at the start of the year. 'Securing his services for the next four years is a significant step for us as we continue to build a competitive team capable of competing on all fronts next season. 'We're pleased that Mats sees his long-term future here at Aberdeen.' Knoester has made a big impression in his first five months at Pittodrie and it is clear the Dons have had an equally positive impact on the player and his family. He said: 'The past few months have been very positive for me and since day one, my family and I have been made to feel very welcome. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. 'Extending my contract feels like the right thing to do. The club has fantastic infrastructure, passionate supporters, and a clear direction for the future. 'I'm looking forward to growing together and I am keen to play my part in the team's future success as we work hard to achieve our goals.'
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'The right thing to do' - Knoester signs new Dons deal to 2029
Mats Knoester has signed a contract extension at Aberdeen to 2029 after proving to be an "outstanding addition" since his arrival in Dutch centre-back, who signed from Ferencvaros on a two-and-a-half-year deal, made 17 Dons appearances last season, including the full Scottish Cup final victory over Celtic as Jimmy Thelin's side prevailed on penalties."Mats has been an outstanding addition to our squad, both on and off the pitch, since his arrival at the start of the year," said manager Thelin."Securing his services for the next four years is a significant step for us as we continue to build a competitive team capable of competing on all fronts next season."Knoester, 26, says extending his stay at Pittodrie "feels like the right thing to do".He added: "The past few months have been very positive for me and since day one, my family and I have been made to feel very welcome. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here."The club has fantastic infrastructure, passionate supporters, and a clear direction for the future."I'm looking forward to growing together and I am keen to play my part in the team's future success as we work hard to achieve our goals."
Press and Journal
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Mats Knoester: Scottish Cup win with Aberdeen is career highlight
Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester has added a Scottish Cup winner's medal to his collection and the Dutchman insists his latest addition is his most prized of all. Knoester has a KNVB Cup winner's medal with Feyenoord from 2018 and won the Hungarian league title with Ferencvaros in 2023. But the central defender has put his first Scottish medal to the top of the pecking order after playing a starring role in the Dons' penalty shootout win against Celtic at Hampden on Saturday. The 26-year-old said: 'This one is the best by far, even better than winning a league because it means more. 'At Ferencvaros, you have to win every year. Here you can see it's been so long. There are more emotions. 'You should just look around you and take it all in. It's a lot to describe. It means a lot and the man of the match award as well. Doubling up is really good.' Adding to the Aberdeen defender's joy was being able to celebrate his victory in Scotland with his family. He said: 'Everybody was here, my mum and dad as well, my brothers. It means a lot. 'You wouldn't see it on my dad's face, but inside, he would have been very happy, emotional and everything. 'In our family we are calm. You don't see it from the outside, but definitely from the inside, it means a lot.' Knoester, who was a powerhouse at the back alongside young team-mates Jack Milne and Alfie Dorrington, was primed to add another element to his cup final tale during the shootout. The defender was due to take Aberdeen's fifth penalty before goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov saved Alistair Johnston's spot-kick to bring the cup back to Aberdeen for the first time since 1990. The Dutchman joked: 'I was fifth. I was ready and Dimi saved it. I gave him the biggest hug afterwards. 'My penalties in practice were good so I had confidence. But, of course, it's nice if you can finish it early. The earlier, the better.' Jimmy Thelin's side ended a 30-game winless run against the Hoops and ended the league and League Cup winners' hopes of a domestic treble. Victory at Hampden also ended Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers' perfect record, both in the competition and at the National Stadium. Given the one-sided nature of the previous recent encounters, it is understandable why Celtic were such strong favourites. But Knoester and his team-mates' belief was unshakeable. He said: 'We had previous matches with Celtic, of course. They're a good team, they're a really good team. They win a lot of prizes. 'We knew we had to change our tactic and maybe do something different. This was our plan and it worked out well. So I'm very happy with that. 'They scored one goal out of a set-piece, not out of open play, which is frustrating. 'You know, you're defending so well and then you get a set-piece. 'But we said to each other, 'The one thing that can't happen is if they score a goal or we score a goal and we change'. 'That's happened in the past few games. 'So we said, 'Just stick to the game plan'. Then the longer the game went, it was still 1-0 and we got some good transitions. 'Then you start to feel, 'Okay, we only need this one half chance'. Then it goes in and then it actually happens. 'Of course, it has to work out in the end. But we did believe in it, yeah, definitely.' Aberdeen's cup win was one achieved by sheer grit and determination from the men in red. Knoester epitomised the effort by being the only member of the back three to last the full 120 minutes. He said: 'I didn't really feel it. Of course, you feel tired after 120 minutes, but I still felt like I could go on. It's a good sign that I'm fit. 'This was a good team performance. If you put it on paper, you would say Celtic are the better team. 'But then you need to come up with character and a team sticking together. That's what we did. 'For me, personally, it's just about belief in yourself, in your team, in the tactics. And shutting down all the noise around you. 'Then you prove them wrong. So, it's the best feeling.' The icing on the cake of course, was guaranteed European group stage football next season. Knoester said: 'We have it all now, huh? Nobody would say that before. So, I think that's the nicest thing.'
Scotsman
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Spared Aberdeen fifth penalty taker reveals why Scottish Cup triumph means more than league winners' medal
January arrival explains emotion of Hampden victory Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Mats Knoester has won a league title, but lifting the Scottish Cup with Aberdeen meant more. The Dutchman was part of the Ferencvaros side that claimed the Nemzeti Bajnokság I championship in 2022-23 in his first season following his move from Eredivise outfit Heracles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was the club's fifth Hungarian title in a row - they made it seven on Saturday under manager Robbie Keane - but defender Knoester admitted that helping the Dons end a 35-year wait for Scottish Cup glory ranks higher after the penalty shoot-out victory over Celtic which followed the 1-1 draw at Hampden. Aberdeen's Mats Knoester with the Scottish Cup trophy after the penalty shoot-out win over Celtic. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group "This one is the best by far - 100 per cent," he said. "Better than winning the league, because it means more. In Ferencvaros you have to win every year but here you can see it has been so long. It's more emotional. It's hard to put into words. I think you should just look around you and take it all in. It's a lot to describe what just happened." Knoester, who came through the youth ranks at Feyenoord, joined Aberdeen in January on a two-and-a-half year deal following the expiry of his Ferencvaros contract. His time at the Dons has been a mixture of ups and downs, but scooping the man of the match award in a cup final win over Celtic ensured his campaign finished on an almighty high. It could have been Knoester himself who stepped up to win the cup for his side but Aberdeen's designated fifth penalty taker was spared the responsibility when Dimitar Mitov saved from Alistair Johnston in the shoot-out to clinch a 4-3 win. The 26-year-old, however, was sure that he would have tucked his spot kick away regardless. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "I was fifth, the last one," he revealed. "I was ready but Dimi saved it so it was all good. Of course, I gave him the biggest hug afterwards. My penalties were good in the practice, so I had confidence, but it's nicer if you can finish it earlier. The earlier the better." Knoester was one of only four Aberdeen outfield players to last the full 120 minutes in what was a huge defensive effort against a Celtic side who had beaten them 5-1 at Pittodrie only 10 days earlier. Manager Jimmy Thelin's decision to change formation to a back five paid off as his defence held firm, conceding only from an unfortunate Alfie Dorrington own goal before Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel returned the favour at the other end. Celtic's Daizen Maeda is fouled by Aberdeen's Mats Knoester. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group "We had previous matches with Celtic, of course, and they are a really good team,' he said. 'They win a lot of prizes so we knew we had to change our tactics and maybe do something different. This was our plan and it worked out well so we're very happy with that." Aberdeen had been tipped to lose the final heavily after conceding 19 goals in their five meetings with Celtic this season, which included a 6-0 thumping at Hampden in the League Cup semi-final in November. Proving the doubters wrong made victory all the sweeter as well as securing a guaranteed Conference League place next season. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Mats Knoester reveals how Dimitar Mitov got him off the hook as Aberdeen cup hero shares Celtic penalty secret
The defender didn't need to step up from 12 yards in the Hampden shootout thanks to his goalkeeper Mats Knoester admitted he was on Aberdeen's fifth penalty before Dimitar Mitov stole the Scottish Cup final glory. The Dutchman was on the final spot kick but his keeper saved from Alistair Johnston to seal the 4-2 shootout win. That let Knoester off the hook and he was able to celebrate Aberdeen lifting their first Scottish Cup in 35 years. The 26-year-old confirmed: 'I was the fifth penalty. They (my practices) were good so I had confidence. 'But, of course, it's nice if you can finish it early. The earlier, the better. I was ready but Dimi saved it. I gave him the biggest hug afterwards.' The defender has won the Hungarian league with Ferencvaros and was part of Feyenoord 's squad when they won the Dutch Cup but he is in no doubt this one with Aberdeen tops the lot. He stated: 'I had one medal up to now. 'This one is the best by far. 100%. 'It was better than winning the league because it means more. 'In Ferencvaros, you are expected to win every year and here it has been so long. There are more emotions. 'It is hard to put into words. Just look around and take it all in then you have your answer. It is a lot to take. It means a lot. 'I was also man of the match as well, I doubled up so that was really good.' Aberdeen were written-off in most quarters and being written off makes that success even sweeter. The January signing added: 'It is first about belief in yourself personally and your team in the tactics. I shutdown all the noise around me and then you prove them wrong in the end. It is the best feeling.' Celtic had won their last four meetings but Thelin produced a curveball by going for a three man defence for the first time this season, with Knoester on the left of it. The Aberdeen defender acknowledged: 'We had previous matches with Celtic. They are a good team and win a lot of prizes. 'We knew we had to change our tactic and maybe do something different. This was our plan and it worked out well. I am very happy with that.' Knoester was named man of the match and picked up a winner's medal. Aberdeen also claimed guaranteed European group stage football. Knoester joked: 'Yeah, so we have it all now, huh? Nobody would say that before. So, I think that's the nicest thing.' He was glad most of his family had travelled from Holland to be there for his big day. They also got into the swing as Aberdeen celebrated its first trophy in 11 years. The last Scottish Cup win was back in 1990. It included Dutchmen Hans Gillhaus and Theo Snelders and now Knoester continues that proud trend. He beamed: 'Everybody was here, my mum and dad as well, my brothers. It means a lot. You wouldn't see it on my dad's face, but inside, he would have been very happy, emotional and everything. 'In our family we are calm. You don't see it from the outside, but definitely from the inside, it means a lot.'
