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Matthew Booth
Personal information
Full name	Matthew Paul Booth
Date of birth	14 March 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	Fish Hoek, South Africa
Height	1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
1982–1994	Fish Hoek AFC
1994–1996	Cape Town Spurs
Senior career*
Years	Team
1994–1998	Cape Town Spurs
1998–2002	Mamelodi Sundowns
2001	→ Wimbledon (loan)
2002–2004	Rostov
2004–2009	Krylia Sovetov
2009–2011	Mamelodi Sundowns
2011–2013	Ajax Cape Town
2013–2014	Bidvest Wits
Total
International career
1995–1997	South Africa U20
1998–2000	South Africa U23
1999–2010	South Africa
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Matthew Paul Booth (born 14 March 1977) is a South African former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Booth spent the majority of his career in his home country, but also played in Russia for six years and briefly played in England for three months. Booth is remembered as a fan favourite among South African fans, who chanted "Booooooth" when he touched the ball, while British media outlets dubbed him as White Knight,^[2]^[3] as he was the only white player in the South Africa national team in this period.^[4]

Early life and youth career

Booth was born in Fish Hoek to Paul and Anthea Booth. His father Paul was an engineer at the Cape Town city council, a semi-professional footballer and administrator for Fish Hoek AFC, while his mother Anthea was a legal secretary. Booth started playing football for Fish Hoek AFC in 1982 at the age of five.^[3] In 1993, he played in the Bayhill U19 tournament for Fish Hoek, where he was spotted by Cape Town Spurs coach Richard Gomes, who saw a lanky youngster flying into tackles halfheartedly and towering above the opposition's attackers and invited him to train with the club's youth.^[5] In 1994, shortly after he turned 17, he trained with the senior squad, which went on to win the league and the BobSave Super Bowl.^[6] At the time, he worked at a sports shop in Woodstock and would travel by train to Parow after work to train with the team at CR Vasco da Gama fields at the time, then travelled back to Fish Hoek after training.^[5]

Career

Club

Booth started playing professionally in 1996, alongside experienced players like Shaun Bartlett and Craig Rosslee. Cape Town Spurs and Seven Stars were merged in 1999 to form Ajax Cape Town. He was deemed surplus to requirements at Ajax and wanted to sell him to newly formed Mother City. He fought back, and eventually joined Mamelodi Sundowns, staying for three seasons.

In 2001, Booth moved to England as he was loaned out to First Division side Wimbledon, but he never made an appearance for the first team, and was only used in reserve team matches.^[7] He was later quoted as saying that his stint at Wimbledon was "not a happy time because the club was in turmoil over the move to Milton Keynes".^[8] In 2002, he moved to Russia to represent both Rostov and later Krylia Sovetov, playing with and against players such as Branislav Ivanović, Vágner Love and Jan Koller.^[5]

Booth retired from professional football on 19 June 2014, even though he was given an option to renew his playing contract.^[9]

International

Booth made his debut for South Africa on 20 February 1999, against Botswana at the Cosafa Castle Cup. He made thirty-seven appearances for the national side, scoring one goal. Booth missed out on the 2002 FIFA World Cup due to a knee injury,^[10] but was a member of the 2010 FIFA World Cup team (that qualified as hosts of the competition), despite remaining an unused substitute for all three group stage matches. He also captained the under-23 side at the 2000 Summer Olympics.^[11]

Due to his height, Booth is considered one of the most important players when meeting opponents with tall players.

Personal life

Booth is married to Sonia Bonneventia, a businesswoman and former model. The couple have two children together.^[8]

In 2014, Booth saved a woman from being beaten on Cape Town's nightclub strip on Long Street early on a Saturday morning. Booth had been playing for Wits in an Absa Premiership game against Ajax Cape Town, which they lost 1–0, hosted at Cape Town Stadium on the previous Friday night. After using an ATM and walking back to his friends, he saw a man assaulting the woman and rushed to her assistance. The attacker shoved Booth, who toppled onto a store's window ledge which had spikes to prevent people sitting on the ledge. Members of the Central City Improvement District took the attacker away. Booth returned to his hotel where the team doctor attended to his injuries.^[12]

Booth owns junior coaching clinics at multiple public schools. He has also done some television work for the South African Broadcasting Corporation as an analyst and some writing for The Sowetan. Booth has also registered to do a BA degree through the University of South Africa.^[5]

In early November 2022, Matthew’s wife Sonia Booth exposed him on instagram regarding infidelity.^[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 22 November 2008^[14]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rostov	2002	Russian Premier League	8	0	4	0	–		–		12	0
	2003		28	1	4	0	–		–		32	1
	2004		15	0	0	0	–		–		15	0
	Total		51	1	8	0	0	0	0	0	59	1
Krylia Sovetov	2004	Russian Premier League	8	1	4	0	–		–		12	1
	2005		18	1	2	0	2	0	–		22	1
	2006		28	3	4	0	–		–		32	3
	2007		28	2	0	0	–		–		28	2
	2008		25	0	1	0	–		–		26	0
	Total		107	7	11	0	2	0	0	0	120	7
Career total			158	8	19	0	2	0	0	0	179	8