Thirty minutes after winning the Gray Cup, Kristian Matte was dreaming out loud about a 14th season of professional football.
The 38-year-old offensive lineman's wish came true on Thursday when he signed a one-year contract extension with the Montreal Alouettes.
“I wanted to extend my career and the Alouettes wanted me to come back. “The marriage continues,” he said during a friendly telephone interview.
On November 19, Matte won the second Gray Cup of his career. He was the only member of the Alouettes to have achieved this 13 years earlier. The second time, however, was completely different. In 2010, the Concordia Stingers product had just been drafted and served as a reserve, while in 2023 he served as a year-round starter.
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Many wondered if Matte would choose to retire as champion, but that option hardly seemed to have crossed his mind.
“Half an hour after the Gray Cup game I was on the pitch with my wife and children. I told them, 'Imagine if we could relive this another time.'”
However, it wasn't exactly at that moment that the right guard couldn't imagine he'd be wearing shoulder pads and a helmet for another year.
“Last year when I signed my contract I told myself it could be my last year. But during the season I felt like I performed well. I haven't talked about it openly, but before the playoffs started, I told myself that I would come back another year no matter how our year ended.
“In short, I'm having fun with my teammates, my health allows me to continue and my performances are still at a high level.”
Precious moments
Finally at the height of fame and surrounded by the people who mattered most to him, Matte allowed himself to express his desire to expand his football career a little further.
“I'm really proud that I was able to celebrate with my children under confetti. And with my wife too! She has supported me for almost 20 years. His family and my family too. These are the people who support me through the ups and downs. It makes me emotional to talk about it.”
The veteran and his wife Melissa have two children: Zackary, 8, and Ellison, 6. The latter celebrated their father's victory in style – long after their usual bedtime.
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“It’s often said that soccer is a young man’s sport,” Matte said. Most boys don't have children old enough to remember seeing their dad play. I feel very fortunate that I was able to play long enough for my children to have memories.”
A select club
By playing his 14th season in the 'Moineaux' jersey, Matte will be joining a very select club. He will become only the fourth player in history to play so many campaigns for the organization. The others are Anthony Calvillo (16), Scott Flory (15) and Peter Dalla Riva (14).
“I didn't even know. “That’s not a lot of players,” he responded.
“I'm lucky to be in the same team for so long. This is rare in our field. […] I still feel young, but things like this remind me how old I am,” he added, bursting into laughter.