Matvey Safonov was born on 25 February 1999 in Krasnodar, Russia. He came through FC Krasnodar's academy and made his Russian Premier League debut in August 2017 against Amkar Perm. Across seven seasons at Krasnodar he made 147 league appearances and earned the 2023–24 Russian Premier League Goalkeeper of the Season award.
Paris Saint-Germain signed him in June 2024 on a five-year contract for around €20 million. He made his PSG debut on 18 September 2024 in a 1–0 Champions League win over Girona. As back-up to Gianluigi Donnarumma during 2024–25 he was on the squad list as PSG won Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League — the 5–0 final win over Inter Milan on 31 May 2025 made him the fifth Russian Champions League winner since 2016.
His standout individual moment came in December 2025 in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final, when he saved four penalties in the shootout victory over Flamengo and earned Man of the Match honours.
A 1.92 m goalkeeper with reflexes and shot-stopping ability, Safonov also studied beyond football — earning a bachelor's degree in pedagogy, psychology, and communication from Kuban State University in 2021. He represented Russia from 2021 onward, with appearances at UEFA Euro 2020 against Finland and Denmark, before Russian international football's suspension reshaped his international trajectory.