Juan Mata Pata

Juan Manuel Mata García (Spanish: [xwan maˈnwel ˈmata ɡaɾˈθi.a]; born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, most recently for A-League Men club Melbourne Victory. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, but can also play as a winger.

A graduate of Real Madrid's youth academy, Mata played for Real Madrid Castilla in 2006–07, before joining Valencia in the summer of 2007. He became an integral part of the club's midfield, making 174 appearances over the course of four seasons and winning the Copa del Rey. In 2011, Mata signed for English club Chelsea for a fee believed to be in the region of €28 million and established himself as the team's focal player. In his first two seasons, he won the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Europa League.

Despite Mata's stature at the club, he fell out of favour at Chelsea under newly appointed manager José Mourinho and was sold to Manchester United in January 2014, for a fee of £37.1 million. He made 285 appearances over nine seasons at United, winning the Europa League and FA Cup again as well as the EFL Cup and FA Community Shield. He joined Galatasaray after his contract with United expired in the summer of 2022, where he won the first league title of his career.

Mata debuted for Spain in 2009 and played at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, his first senior tournament. In September 2009, Mata scored his first goal for the senior team, against Estonia, securing the nation a place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and was part of Spain's World Cup-winning squad. In 2011, he resumed playing in the under-21 side, helping Spain win the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Denmark. He won the Golden Player award and was part of the Team of the Tournament. Mata returned to the senior squad for UEFA Euro 2012 and, after coming on as a substitute, scored Spain's fourth goal in the final as Spain defeated Italy 4–0 to retain their title as champions of Europe.

Mata was born in Burgos, Castile and León. He inherited his name from his father, Juan Manuel Mata Rodríguez, who was also a footballer, playing as a forward for nearby Real Burgos in the 1980s and early 1990s. Mata was raised in his father's home town of Oviedo, Asturias. His father later acted as Mata's agent, becoming FIFA-registered in the process. In his spare time, Mata enjoys table tennis, a sport he played as a child.

Mata started his football career at Real Oviedo in 2000, where his father spent part of his career, before joining Real Madrid's youth academy, La Fábrica, in 2003 at the age of 15. After appearing for their Cadete A team, he then swiftly progressed through the junior teams, Juvenil C and finally Juvenil A. In his last campaign (2005–06), he scored two goals in the league and three more in the Copa de Campeones, including the winner in the final against Real Valladolid, adding another three in the Copa del Rey Juvenil.

Switching to Real Madrid Castilla in 2006–07, Mata was given the number 34 shirt in the first team, while wearing number 28 in Castilla. In spite of Castilla's final Segunda División relegation, he finished the season as the side's second best scorer with nine, behind striker Álvaro Negredo, who registered 18.

Mata had a release clause at Real Madrid during his last season at the club, and eventually agreed to sign for fellow La Liga side Valencia in March 2007 on a contract starting on 30 June 2007.

Benefitting from the chances from Vicente's injury problems and Ronald Koeman sidelining Miguel Ángel Angulo, Mata gradually carved a niche in Valencia's first eleven. On 20 March 2008, he scored twice in the Copa del Rey semi-final match against Barcelona to help Valencia reach the final against Getafe where, on 16 April, he scored the opener in a 3–1 win. During that first season, he was voted the team's Best Young Player by fans and players alike.

In the 2008 Supercopa de España, Mata scored against his former club Real Madrid in a 3–2 first leg win, but Valencia lost 5–6 on aggregate after a 2–4 away loss in the second game. He started 2008–09 well, scoring in the opener against Mallorca in a 3–0 win. He also scored the only goal of the game against Osasuna, latching on to a long-ball from David Villa.

On 25 September 2008, Mata proved to be growing in efficiency, as he set up two of his teammate's goals in a 2–0 away win over Málaga. Three days later, he put in a superb performance against Deportivo La Coruña, scoring one and creating the other three, in a 4–2 home victory.

Towards the end of the campaign, Mata managed to score two very important late goals for Valencia: the first, the 3–2 winner at Sporting Gijón, and the second a penalty against Sevilla at home, to put Valencia 2–1 up (specialist Villa had already been replaced due to injury) in an eventual 3–1 success. He achieved impressive stats during the season, finishing with 11 successful strikes and 13 assists, behind just Barcelona's Xavi as the league's best.

On 21 August 2011, Valencia announced they had agreed a £23.5 million fee for the transfer of Mata to Premier League club Chelsea, subject to a medical. On 24 August 2011, Mata signed a five-year deal with Chelsea. He revealed that compatriot Fernando Torres helped persuade him to move to Stamford Bridge, saying "Fernando got me excited about the thought of coming here. He said it would be good for me here, and that me and him together could be good. I also talked to my family and friends about it as well."

On 26 August 2011, Yossi Benayoun offered Mata his number 10 shirt, saying "I decided to give Mata the number 10 – his favourite. For me, it's just a number, not my lucky 15." (Florent Malouda wore number 15 for Chelsea at the time). Mata wore number 10 for Valencia and for Spain's under-21s in the summer, and expressed his gratitude to Benayoun. "It is a very important number to me so I'm pleased to be wearing it. I want to thank Yossi," he said. Mata followed on from Chelsea players Joe Cole, Mark Hughes, Ian Hutchinson, and Terry Venables in adopting the number 10 shirt.

Mata made his debut for Chelsea against Norwich City on 27 August 2011, where he came on as a 68th-minute substitute for Florent Malouda and scored the club's third goal in the 11th minute of stoppage time. Chelsea went on to win the match 3–1. He started his first game for his new club in their next fixture on 10 September away to Sunderland, helping Chelsea secure a 1–2 win. On 14 September, Mata made his UEFA Champions League debut for Chelsea and scored in stoppage time to help his side defeat Bayer Leverkusen 2–0.

On 29 October 2011, Mata assisted Chelsea's 6,000th league goal with an in-swinging cross which was headed in by Frank Lampard. In the same game, Mata scored with a spectacular 25-yard strike in a 3–5 home defeat to London rivals Arsenal. On 26 November, Mata set up the first two goals which were scored by John Terry and Daniel Sturridge and also scored the third goal himself in a 3–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was awarded the Man of the Match in a 0–3 away win at St James' Park for his performance against Newcastle United.

On 6 December 2011, during Chelsea's decisive Champions League match against former club Valencia, Mata created two assists for both of Didier Drogba goals. The game ended in a 3–0 win, which resulted in Chelsea qualifying first from their group. On Boxing Day, Mata scored his side's only goal in a 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge against Fulham. Mata scored Chelsea's first goal of their FA Cup campaign in a 4–0 win over Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge.

In an FA Cup fourth round tie with Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, Mata scored his side's only goal from the penalty spot in a 0–1 victory. On 5 February 2012, Mata scored against Manchester United in a 3–3 draw. On 21 February, Mata scored his side's only goal in their 1–3 defeat away at Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

After the appointment of Roberto Di Matteo as interim first-team coach, Mata was played as a central attacking midfielder rather than being played on the left wing. Mata scored and had a penalty saved by Colin Doyle in the FA Cup fifth round replay against Birmingham City at St Andrew's, which Chelsea won 2–0, helping them into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. He continued his trait of scoring in each round; this run, however, ended against Leicester City in the quarter-final, which Chelsea nonetheless won 5–2. On 7 April, Mata scored his 11th goal of the season against Wigan Athletic, giving the Blues a 2–1 victory over the Latics and kept alive Chelsea's fight for a Champions League spot.

Under new Chelsea manager José Mourinho, Mata spent a lot of time on the bench. Mourinho preferred Oscar as a playmaker, and suggested Mata needed to adapt to a wider position and to work harder defensively. On 28 September 2013, Mata came on as a half-time substitute against Tottenham Hotspur to assist John Terry to score an equaliser in a 1–1 draw, but his appearances in the first team remained infrequent. On 29 October, he scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 League Cup victory at London rivals Arsenal.

Mata struggled to secure a regular first-team place under Mourinho as he had started just 11 of Chelsea's 22 Premier League matches. Mata scored 33 goals and provided 58 assists in 135 appearances over two and a half seasons with Chelsea.

On 24 January 2014, Mourinho said Chelsea had accepted a transfer offer from Manchester United and he allowed Mata to travel to Manchester to undergo a medical, after the player said he was "really happy to go". Manchester United confirmed later in the day that a transfer fee had been agreed, but that the deal was still contingent on Mata agreeing personal terms and passing a medical. The transfer was completed the following day, with Manchester United paying Chelsea a then club record fee of £37.1 million (€46 million), with Mata signing a contract until the summer of 2018.

He made his debut against Cardiff City on 28 January and provided one assist in the 2–0 home victory. Mata scored his first goal for United in a 4–1 win over Aston Villa on 29 March 2014. He also went on to score two goals against Newcastle United in a 4–0 away victory, two more against Norwich City after coming off the bench in another 4–0 win, and the only goal in a 1–1 draw against Southampton in the final match of the season.

Mata ended the season having scored six goals for Manchester United, all in the Premier League, since he was cup tied to Chelsea in other competitions.

Mata began the new season in fine form. He scored the only goal in Manchester United's second game of the Premier League season, a 1–1 draw against Sunderland at Stadium of Light, following it up with a goal against Queens Park Rangers in a 4–0 thumping, which was also Louis van Gaal's first competitive win in charge of United. He was later dropped to the bench for the following two matches, making cameo appearances against Leicester City and West Ham United, with van Gaal preferring an attacking trinity of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and new signing Radamel Falcao in both games.

Following Rooney's sending off and suspension due to a foul on Stewart Downing in the match against West Ham, Mata was reinstated to the starting lineup, and he started the next match against Everton, a 2–1 win at Old Trafford in which he provided the assist for new signing Ángel Di María's goal. Mata later scored winning goals in home games against Crystal Palace and Stoke City, the former after coming on as a second-half substitute. He made his return to the starting line-ups for the first time, in a 3–0 win over Tottenham but was substituted in the 77th minute for Andreas Pereira. On 22 March 2015, Mata scored a brace, including a bicycle kick, in a 2–1 victory over Liverpool, a performance which he rated as his best for Manchester United. Mata's performance at Anfield led to the Old Trafford faithful coining the term 'Juanfield'. His second goal against Liverpool was also voted as Premier League Goal of the Month in March 2015. His inspired performances led to him being named as Manchester United's Player of the Month for March.

Mata, just as he had in the previous campaign, had a fine start to the season, getting an assist in the second game of the campaign against Aston Villa, which helped maintain his side's impressive record at Villa Park. September was a month to remember for Mata as he scored two goals and made two assists in just three games, as Manchester United claimed wins against Liverpool, Southampton, and Sunderland. As a result, Mata was crowned the club's Player of The Month.

Mata was made captain for the home game against Watford on 2 March and scored a free kick, which was also the match-winner. On 6 March, in a 1–0 defeat to West Brom, Mata received his first career red card after obtaining two yellow cards in the space of three minutes. Mata assisted an Anthony Martial goal against West Ham in the final game at the Boleyn Ground; however, United lost 3–2, ending their chances of beating Manchester City for fourth-place.

On 21 May 2016, Mata scored for United in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, leveling the score at 1–1 just three minutes after Jason Puncheon's 78th-minute goal. Mata was substituted in the 90th minute and replaced by Jesse Lingard, who would score the winning goal for United in extra time.

At the beginning of the summer, Mata was reunited with his former Chelsea manager and the person who sold him to Manchester United, José Mourinho. On 7 August 2016, Mata was selected to be on the bench in the FA Community Shield. Mata replaced Jesse Lingard in the second half, then was substituted in added time for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Although there were reports about tensions between the player and manager, after the match, Mata stated that there were no tensions between him and Mourinho. He started in the opening match of the season against AFC Bournemouth and scored Manchester United's first Premier League goal of the season with a tap-in after Simon Francis' error. After José Mourinho dropped captain Wayne Rooney, Mata served as the stand-in captain in the 0–0 draw against Burnley on 29 October 2016.

Mata scored his third brace of his Manchester United career, scoring both goals in a Boxing Day fixture against Leicester City. However, his efforts were cancelled out by a late equaliser from Harry Maguire which saw the match finish 2–2. Mata finished the season with three goals in 40 appearances for the Red Devils, as United finished second in the Premier League and lost in the 2018 FA Cup Final against his former club, Chelsea.

On 6 October 2018, Mata scored United's first goal in a 3–2 comeback win over Newcastle United. On 7 November, Mata scored the equaliser from a free kick in another late comeback 2–1 win over Juventus in a Champions League group stage fixture. Mata also scored in a 4–1 win over Fulham on 8 December, before scoring his final goal of the season in a 1–1 draw against his former club Chelsea on 28 April 2019.

On 19 June 2019, it was confirmed that Mata had signed a new two-year contract with Manchester United, keeping him at the club until June 2021 with the option of a further year. This ended months of speculation over his future.

Mata's first goal of the 2019–20 season came from the spot in 4–0 win over AZ in United's final Europa League group stage game. Mata later scored the only goal in January in an FA Cup third round replay against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Mata then scored in United's final game before the temporary suspension of football due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a 5–0 victory over LASK.

After scoring against Luton Town and Brighton and Hove Albion in the third and fourth round of the EFL Cup respectively, Mata received praise for his performance in a comeback 4–1 win against Newcastle United in the Premier League on 17 October 2020. Whilst not scoring he provided an assist for Harry Maguire's equaliser as well as being involved in the build up for all other goals. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær described his game as "fantastic" while Sky Sports said United's win was "largely thanks to [Solskjær's] decision to turn to Mata". On 23 May 2021, he scored his only Premier League goal of the season, a penalty in a 2–1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On 2 July 2021, Mata signed a contract extension with Manchester United, keeping him at the club for another year. After having made twelve appearances throughout the whole 2021–22 campaign, the last of which was during the team's last league fixture against Crystal Palace (on 22 May 2022), Mata left the club at the end of the season following his contract expiration. His time at Old Trafford came to an end after eight years, a total amount of 285 appearances and 51 goals and four trophies won with the club.

On 8 September 2022, Mata signed a one-year contract with Turkish Süper Lig team Galatasaray as a free agent, with the option to extend the deal by a further year. He made his debut on 24 September, in a friendly match against Istanbulspor and showed an impressive performance. He scored his first Süper Lig goal on 28 October after coming on as a second-half substitute against Fatih Karagümrük. Mata won the 2022–23 title, with a 4–1 away win against Ankaragücü on 30 May 2023 securing the title two weeks before the end of the season, the 23rd championship in club history. On 1 July 2023, it was announced that he left Galatasaray, and a farewell message was published.

On 3 September 2023, J1 League club Vissel Kobe announced the signing of Mata, handing him the club's number 64 shirt. Mata made just one appearance for the club, coming on as a substitute for the final ten minutes of a 2–0 away loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima on 16 September; however, he still received a medal as Vissel Kobe were crowned J1 League champions that season. On 6 January 2024, Mata's contract with Vissel Kobe expired and he left the club.

On 5 September 2024, Mata joined Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers ahead of the new A-League Men season. He scored his first goal for the club on 1 January 2025 in a 2–3 loss to Macarthur FC. He would only feature for 599 minutes during the season, due to a falling out with head coach Alen Stajcic.

On 16 September 2025, Mata joined A-League side Melbourne Victory for the 2025–26 season. He scored five goals and provided 13 assists in his debut season, earning the Johnny Warren Medal as the A-League Player of the Year. He was also selected in the PFA A-League Team of the Season.

On 11 September 2026, Mata departed the club following the conclusion of his contract. Having already become a stakeholder in the club, Mata also took up a position as chair of Victory's newly established football committee, while considering the next steps in his career from his home in Europe.

Mata represented Spain from 2004 to 2016 at under-16, under-17, under-19, under-20, under-21, Olympic and senior levels.

He was a key player for Spain as they won the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, finishing the tournament as second top scorer to his teammate Alberto Bueno, with four goals in five matches.

On 1 February 2007, Spain under-21 coach Iñaki Sáez included Mata in his squad for a friendly match against England. On 6 February, at the age of 18 years and 10 months, Mata made his under-21 debut as a substitute for Pedro León in the 61st minute of a 2–2 draw at Pride Park.

In 2011, Mata was a member of Spain's 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship winning team. He was included in UEFA's Team of the Tournament and named as the tournament's Golden Player.

Mata was included in Spain's squad for the 2012 Olympic football tournament as one of their three designated overage players. Spain, however, failed to score in any of their opening three matches and were eliminated at the group stage.

On 14 November 2008, Vicente del Bosque called Mata up to the Spain senior squad ahead of a friendly match against Chile. On 28 March 2009, he made his senior international debut, coming on as a substitute for Valencia teammate David Villa in the 63rd minute of a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Turkey.

In June 2009, Del Bosque included Mata in his 23-man squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He started in the second group match against Iraq and came on as a substitute for Albert Riera in the semi-final loss to the United States.

On 9 September 2009, Mata scored his first goal for the senior team in a 3–0 win against Estonia that guaranteed Spain's qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He followed this up with the winner against Armenia on 10 October, scoring a penalty kick in a 2–1 win. Mata was selected in Spain's 23-man squad for the World Cup finals and appeared once for the eventual champions, replacing Fernando Torres for the final 20 minutes of the 2–0 group stage win against Honduras.

Mata was named in the Spain squad for UEFA Euro 2012 and, after coming on as a substitute, scored Spain's fourth goal in the final as Spain defeated Italy 4–0 to retain their title as champions of Europe.

In June 2013, he was named in Spain's squad for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup where he played in four of the team's five matches, scoring in the 10–0 group stage win over Tahiti. He played 52 minutes of the final before being substituted for Jesús Navas as Spain lost 3–0 to Brazil at the Estadio do Maracanã.

In addition to his favoured playmaking role as an attacking midfielder behind the strikers, Mata is also comfortable playing on either wing, often drifting inside to operate in the "hole" and act as a secondary string-puller. He has also been used as a second striker on occasion. He makes up for a lack of pace with his control, technique, passing, creativity, and vision, which allows him to link-up with teammates and register many assists, in addition to scoring goals. His ability to read the game and adapt to different tactical systems, whether facing a deep defensive block or an open match, makes him a key facilitator in transitional play.

A diminutive player, standing at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), he lacks significant physical strength, heading ability, or aerial prowess, but is quick, agile, and nimble in his movements. He possesses excellent spatial awareness, constantly moving to create passing lanes and opening up space for overlapping full-backs to join the attack. Predominantly left footed, he is also a well-known free kick specialist. However, he has drawn criticism at times in the media over his limited defensive skills and work-rate.

In November 2012, along with fellow Premier League players Santi Cazorla and Michu, Mata bought shares in former club Real Oviedo, who were struggling to raise €2 million to stay afloat in the Spanish third division.

Mata and his father Juan Manuel Mata were part-owners of Tapeo and Wine, a Spanish restaurant on Deansgate in Manchester city centre, which opened in 2016 and closed in 2020 as a result of COVID-19. Mata and his father felt that authentic Spanish food options in Manchester were insufficient and so wanted to create their own restaurant. At the time, both Manchester managers, Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho were regular patrons.

In August 2017, Mata announced in an article for The Players' Tribune that he was pledging one percent of his salary to a pledge-based charitable movement named Common Goal, and called for other football players to do the same.

In 2023, Mata joined the investment group of the Alpine racing team of Formula One.

On 20 November 2024, Mata joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer club San Diego FC.

UEFA Europa League: 2016–17; runner-up: 2020–21

UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2006

UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2011

FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2013; third place: 2009

UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 2011