Juan Mata

Personal information
Full name	Juan Manuel Mata García
Date of birth	(1988-04-28) 28 April 1988 (age 24)
Place of birth	Burgos, Spain
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1][2]
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Chelsea
Number	10
Youth career
1998–2003	Real Oviedo
2003–2006	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2007	Real Madrid B	39	(10)
2007–2011	Valencia	129	(34)
2011–	Chelsea	34	(6)
National team‡
2004	Spain U16	3	(2)
2004	Spain U17	2	(1)
2006–2007	Spain U19	13	(12)
2007	Spain U20	5	(3)
2007–2011	Spain U21	20	(5)
2009–	Spain	17	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:37, 29 April 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 February 2012

Juan Manuel Mata García (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwan manˈwel ˈmata]; born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish footballer who currently plays for English club Chelsea in the Premier League. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger. Mata is known for his creativity, acceleration, speed, versatility, and technical ability and is described as a "creative spark".^[3][4] He has also been described as "a touch of flair" and has earned critical acclaim for his playing style, which has led to the media, fans and player's drawing comparisons to both Spanish international and former Valencia team-mate David Silva and Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

Mata began his football career in Spain, playing for Real Oviedo. In 1997, he joined Real Madrid. Mata spent three years in the club's academy progressing through their junior teams and, at the age of 18, made the switch to Real Madrid Castilla for the 2006–07 season, where he finished the season as the side's second best scorer with 10 goals. In the start of the 2007–08 season, Mata signed for fellow La Liga side Valencia CF, through a contractual clause at Real Madrid. He was voted the team's Best young player, at the end of that season. Since making his debut for Valencia in 2007, Mata had become an integral part of the club's midfield, making over 174 appearances for the duration of four seasons. ^[10] In the 2011–12 season, Mata moved to England, signing for Premier League club Chelsea in August 2011, for a fee in the region of £23.5 million. On 27 August 2011, Mata made his debut and scored a goal for Chelsea against Norwich City, where he came on as a substitute.

Mata is a Spanish international, having represented Spain at under-16, under-17, under-19, Under-20, under-21 and senior levels. He played for the under-20 side in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In June 2009, Mata was included for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, his first senior tournament. On 9 September 2009, Mata scored his first goal for the senior team, against Estonia secured a place in the World Cup in South Africa and was part of Spain's 2010 FIFA World Cup winning squad. In 2011, he went back to playing the under-21 side, captaining and helping Spain win the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in Denmark. He won the Golden player award and was part of the Team of the Tournament. Mata won the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup in his debut season at Chelsea FC.

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Juan Mata was born on 28 April 1988 in the town of Ocón de Villafranca, Burgos^[11] – his father, Juan Manuel Mata Sr., played for nearby Burgos CF at that time – but was raised from a young age in his father's hometown of Oviedo, Asturias. Mata started his football career at Real Oviedo, where his father spent most of his career. He stayed there for three years before joining Real Madrid at age 15. After appearing for their Cadete A team, he swiftly progressed through the junior teams, Juvenil C and finally the Juvenil A. In his last campaign (2005–06) he scored 2 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 Spanish Juvenil Cup.

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

Valencia[link]

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 CF in March 2002, starting in 2007–08.^[12]

Benefitting from constant injuries to Vicente and the ostracism to which then-manager Ronald Koeman condemned Miguel Ángel Angulo, Mata gradually carved a niche on Valencia's first eleven. On 20 March 2008, he scored twice in the Copa del Rey semifinal match against FC Barcelona to help Valencia reach the final against Getafe CF^[13] where, on 16 April, he netted the opener in a 3–1 win.^[14] During that first season, he was voted the team's Best young player by fans and players alike.

Mata at Paterna in 2009

In the 2008 Spanish Supercup, Mata scored against his former club Real Madrid in a 1–2 first leg loss, but Valencia lost 5–4 on aggregate after a 2–4 away loss in the second game. He started 2008–09 well, scoring in the opener against RCD Mallorca (3–0 win).^[15] He also netted the only goal of the game against CA Osasuna, latching on to a long ball from David Villa.^[16]

On 25 September 2008, Mata proved to be growing in efficiency, as he set up both of his teammate's goals in a 2–7 away win over Málaga CF.^[17] Three days later, he put in a superb performance against Deportivo de La Coruña, scoring one and creating the other three, in a 4–2 home victory.^[18]

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 de Gijón,^[19] and the second a penalty against Sevilla FC at home, to put Valencia 2–1 up (specialist Villa had already been replaced due to injury) in an eventual 3–1 success.^[20] He achieved impressive stats during the season, finishing with 11 successful strikes and 13 assists (in the latter category, league's second-best, behind FC Barcelona's Xavi).

In the following two seasons, Mata was an everpresent offensive figure for Valencia, scoring 17 goals in 68 games combined, with the club achieving back-to-back third-league places. On 10 April 2011, he netted two in a 5–0 home win against Valencian neighbours Villarreal CF.^[21] On 9 May, England-based Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué reported interest from several Premier League clubs.^[10]

Chelsea[link]

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.^[22][23][24] On 24 August 2011, Mata signed a five-year deal with Chelsea. He revealed that 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."^[25]

On 26 August 2011, Yossi Benayoun offered Juan Mata his number 10 shirt. The Israeli captain said: "I decided to give Mata the number 10 – his favourite. For me it's just a number, not my lucky 15." (Florent Malouda wears number 15 for Chelsea.) Mata wore the shirt 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.^[26] Mata follows on from Chelsea players Joe Cole, Mark Hughes, Ian Hutchinson and Terry Venables in adopting the number 10 shirt.^[27]

2011–12 season[link]

Juan Mata taking on Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final

Mata made his debut for Chelsea against Norwich City on 27 August 2011 where he came on as a substitute and scored in stoppage time. Chelsea went on to win the match 3–1.^[28] He started his first game for his new club in their next fixture on 10 September away to Sunderland, helping Chelsea secure a 2–1 win.^[29] On 14 September Mata made his Champions League debut for Chelsea and netted in stoppage time to help his side defeat Bayer Leverkusen 2–0.^[30] On 29 October, 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 Arsenal.^[31] On 26 November 2011, 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.^[32] He was awarded the Man of The Match in a 0–3 away win at St James' Park for his performance against Newcastle United.^[33]

On 6 December 2011, during Chelsea's decisive Champions League match against former club Valencia, Mata made two assists for both of Didier Drogba goals.^[34][35] The game ended in a 3–0 win, which resulted in Chelsea qualifying first from their group.^[36] On Boxing Day, Mata scored his side's only goal in a 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge against Fulham.^[37] Mata scored Chelsea's first goal of their FA Cup campaign in a 4–0 win over Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge.

In the FA Cup 4th round tie with QPR at Loftus Road, Mata scored his side's only goal from the penalty spot a 1–0 victory. On 5 February 2012, Mata scored an unstoppable volley against Manchester United after a beautiful cross from Spanish team-mate Fernando Torres. The game finished 3–3.^[38] On the 21st of February, Mata scored his side's only goal in their 3–1 defeat away at Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.^[39]

After the appointment of Roberto di Matteo as caretaker manager, Mata played in his usual second striker position. Mata scored and had a penalty saved by Colin Doyle in the 5th Round replay against Birmingham City at St Andrews, which Chelsea won 2–0. Adding to the other goal by Raul Meireles, he helped Chelsea into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and continued his trait of scoring in each round of the cup, however this run ended against Leicester City in the quarter-final, which Chelsea won 5–2. In this match, though, his Spanish national football teammate Fernando Torres ended a goal drought of his own, netting a brace against the nPower Championship side. On 7th April, Mata scored his 11th goal of the season against a Wigan team fighting from the drop from the Premier League, it was a vital goal that gave the Blues a 2–1 victory over the Latics and kept alive Chelsea's fight for a Champions League spot.^[40] On 15 April 2012, Mata helped Chelsea get past Tottenham Hotspur 5–1 in the FA Cup Semi-final at Wembley, scoring the controversial 2nd goal and assisting Ramires and Florent Malouda for their goals, adding to his statistic's in the 2011–12 FA Cup with 4 goals and 3 assists. Mata started in both legs of Chelsea's Champions League semi-final clash with reigning champions Barcelona,^[41] helping his side prevail 3–2 on aggregate^[42] and set up a final clash with Bayern Munich on 19 May.^[43]

Mata provided two assists to Fernando Torres in his side's 6–1 thrashing of West London rivals Queens Park Rangers on 29 April, bringing his tally to 13 Premier League assists on the season.^[44] Mata assisted the first goal in the FA Cup Final which Ramires scored, as Chelsea beat Liverpool 2–1 at Wembley, with Mata picking up Man of the Match honours.^[45][46]

On the 10th May 2012, Mata was rewarded for his fantastic form in his first Chelsea season by the fans voting him the club's Player of the Season, following on from Chelsea legends such as Dennis Wise and Gianfranco Zola, whom he had been compared to on various occasions.^[47]

In the Champions League final on 19 May 2012, Didier Drogba scored the equalizer from Mata's corner in the 88th minute. Chelsea won the trophy in a 4–3 penalty-shootout victory over Bayern Munich. ^[48] Mata finished his first season at Stamford Bridge with 573 passes completed in the final third, created 66 chances and completed 61 successful crosses, all stats led the Chelsea team.^[49]

International career[link]

Mata, left, with Adrián López, centre and Alberto Botía, right, playing for the U21

Juan Mata celebrating with Iker Casillas and Javi Martínez, after winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Spain.

Mata helped Spain win the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, where he was a key player. 'Juanín' finished the championship second to his teammate Alberto Bueno (five goals) as top goal scorer of the competition, with four in five matches.^[50]

On 1 February 2007, under-21 coach Iñaki Sáez included him on his squad for the friendly against England, alongside Roberto Soldado, José Manuel Jurado, Sergio Sánchez, Miguel Torres, Esteban Granero and Antonio Adán, at just 18 years and 10 months.

On 14 November 2008, Vicente del Bosque called Mata for the senior team to play in a friendly against Chile. He did not leave the bench in a 3–0 home win. On 28 March 2009, he finally made his debut, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Turkey, a 1–0 win in Madrid. He came on as a substitute for teammate Villa, in the 63rd minute.

In June 2009, del Bosque included Mata for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, the youngster's first senior tournament. 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, as the 3–0 win against Estonia secured a place in the World Cup in South Africa. He followed this up with the winner against Armenia on 10 October, scoring a penalty to steal a 2–1 win.^[51] Picked for the final stages, he appeared once for the eventual champions, replacing Fernando Torres for the final 20 minutes of the 2–0 group stage win against Honduras. In the following summer, he unconventionally went back to the Under 21 side, playing the role of senior squad member and helped Spain win the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in Denmark. He is widely regarded as one of the best young playmakers of his generation.^[52]

International goals[link]

Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	9 September 2009	Estadio Romano, Mérida, Spain	Estonia	3–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	10 October 2009	Hanrapetakan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia	Armenia	2–1	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.	14 October 2009	Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina	5–0	5–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.	29 March 2011	Darius Girenas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania	Lithuania	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
5.	7 October 2011	Generali Arena, Prague, Czech Republic	Czech Republic	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
As of 7 October 2011

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 29 April 2012.

Juan Mata Profile

¹Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España.

²Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield and Carling Cup.

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Valencia

• Copa del Rey (1): 2007–08

Chelsea

• FA Cup (1): 2011–12
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2011–12

Country[link]

Spain

• FIFA World Cup: Winner 2010
• FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009
• UEFA U-19 Championship: 2006
• UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2011

Individual[link]

• UEFA U-21 Championship Golden Player: 2011^[53]
• UEFA U-21 Championship Bronze Boot: 2011
• UEFA U-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2011
• Chelsea Player of the Year : 2012

Personal life[link]

Mata attended the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, studying journalism. In his spare time, he enjoys playing table-tennis.^[54]

His father, also called Juan, was also a footballer. He was a forward who played in the 1980s/early 1990s, and later acted as his son's agent, becoming FIFA-registered in the process.^[55]

Juan, when he has time off from training enjoys sight seeing around London. ^[56]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Juan Mata

• Valencia CF profile
• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Juan Mata at National-Football-Teams.com
• Juan Mata – FIFA competition record
• Biography at CiberChe (Spanish)
• Transfermarkt profile
• Official website (Spanish)