Matte Smets

Matte Smets (born 4 January 2004) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for KRC Genk.

Club career
Smets began playing football with Bilzerse, where his father was a former player. He shortly after moved to Genk in 2010 where he stayed for 8 years. In 2018, he moved to the youth academy of Sint-Truiden where he finished his development. On 27 May 2022, he signed his first professional contract with the club. He made his senior and professional debut with Sint-Truiden as a substitute in a 2–0 Belgian First Division A loss to Royal Antwerp on 7 October 2022.

Originally a defensive midfielder, Smets was developed into a centre-back in the middle of a three-man defense. On 6 July 2023, he extended his contract with Sint-Truiden until 2026.

In July 2024 Smets made a move back to KRC Genk.

International career
Smets is a youth international for Belgium, having played for the Belgium U20s in November 2023.