Look up Juan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Look up Juan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Juan is a given name, the Spanish language version of John. It is very common in Spain (its origin) and in Spanish-speaking communities around the world. The feminine form is Juana, or Juanita on its diminutive.

Juan (Mandarin pronunciation: [tɕy̯ɛn]; 娟, 隽) is also a common feminine given name for Chinese, although Chinese given names are not fixed. "卷", which is homophonic with the female name, is a division of a traditional Chinese manuscript or book and can be translated as "fascicle", "scroll", "chapter" or "volume". Typically, this is pronounced, as the Spanish name sometimes is in British locales, as two syllables instead of the one and with a voiced instead of an aspirated J.

Famous people[link]

• Juan Almeida Bosque, hero of the Cuban revolution
• Juan Andrés y Morell, Spanish littérateur and historian
• Juan Antonio Samaranch, President Olympic Committee
• Juan Bosch, first 'cleanly' elected president of Dominican Republic
• Juan Carlos I of Spain, the reigning King of Spain
• Juan Carlos Onetti, Uruguayan author
• Juan de la Cierva, Spanish civil engineer and pilot, inventor of the autogyro
• Juan Dominguez y Valdez, Texan military
• Juan Domingo Perón, Argentine general and politician, elected three times as President of Argentina
• Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer and songwriter born as Alberto Aguilera Valadez
• Juan Gris, Spanish painter
• Juan Ignacio Cirac Sasturain, Spanish physicist
• Juan Leal, First Mayor of San Antonio, Texas
• Juan Antonio Llorente, 18th century historian
• Juan Luis Vives, Spanish scholar and humanist
• Juan Luis Arsuaga, Spanish paleontologist
• Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956
• Juan Rulfo (1917–1986), Mexican author
• Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, Spanish medieval writer
• Juan Manuel Blanes, Uruguayan painter
• Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentine racing driver
• Juan Manuel Santos, Colombian President-Elect
• Juan Mata, Spanish footballer who plays for English club Chelsea F.C.
• Juan Miro, Catalan painter
• Juan Pierre, Chicago White Sox starting Left fielder and leadoff hitter
• Juan Roman Riquelme, Argentine footballer
• Juan Sebastián Elcano, Spanish explorer who completed the first circumnavigation of the world
• Juan Sebastián Verón Argentine footballer
• Juan Silveira dos Santos, Brazilian footballer, commonly known as Juan
• Juan Trippe the founder of Pan American World Airways
• Gov. Juan Valdez, colonial governor of Texas.
• Juan de Yepes Álvarez, Spanish poet and Catholic Saint (Saint John of the Cross)

Fictional characters[link]

• Juan, a character in the Pokémon universe
• Juan Tamad, a character in Philippine folklore
• Juan Valdez a coffee branding chararcter

See also[link]

• Alternate forms for the name John
• Don Juan (disambiguation)
• João, the corresponding Portuguese name.
• Joan (first name), the corresponding Catalan name.
• Jean (male given name), the corresponding French name.
• San Juan (disambiguation)
• Tropical Storm Juan (disambiguation), a list of hurricanes, typhoons and storms named Juan.

Juan Gabriel
Juan Gabriel in concert.
Background information
Birth name	Alberto Aguilera Valadez
Also known as	Adan Luna, Juan Gabriel, Juanga, El divo de Juárez,
Born	(1950-01-07) 7 January 1950 (age 62) Parácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico
Genres	Mariachi Ranchera Latin Pop / Mexican pop
Occupations	Singer/Composer
Years active	1971–present
Labels	Universal Music BMG RCA Records
Website	JuanGabriel[dead link]

Alberto Aguilera Valadez (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈβeɾto aɣiˈleɾa βalaˈðes]) (born January 7, 1950), better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel (pronounced: [ˈxwaŋ ɡaˈβɾjel]), is a Mexican singer, songwriter, recording artist, and performer.^[1][2]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Born on 7 January 1950, on Cinco de Mayo street (now known as Juan Gabriel Street) in the small town of Parácuaro, Michoacán, to father Gabriel Aguilera Rodríguez and mother Victoria Valadez Rojas, he is the youngest of 10 siblings: Rosa who died shortly after birth, Virginia, José Guadalupe, Gabriel, Pablo, Miguel (died) and three brothers named Rafael who all three have also died.

Around the age of three months, Alberto's father, Gabriel, being an agricultural field worker, intended to clear a piece of land by setting fire to the field. Due to windy conditions, sadly he lost control of the fire which began to spread to neighboring properties and homes. Deeply disturbed and worried over the consequences he brought onto his family, Gabriel knew not what to do and threw himself into a river. Badly injured from the fall, Gabriel was hospitalized and committed to La Castañeda psychiatric ward in México City. What happened to Gabriel after the psychiatric ward is unknown. One tale is that he died while in La Castañeda for their alleged patient mistreatment, while others say that Gabriel escaped from the mental ward to unknown whereabouts. Either way, Alberto and his family never heard from their father again. These accounts would later be Alberto's inspiration for the song titled "De Sol a Sol (A Mis Padres)" - English translation, "From Sun Up to Sun Down (To My Parents)".

After some time, Alberto's mother, Victoria, felt obligated to leave Parácuaro, move the family to Apatzingan, Morelia for a short while and finally settle in Juárez, Chihuahua, where Alberto lived the remainder of his childhood.

At the age of five years, Alberto was sent to the boarding school known as Centro de Mejoramiento Infantil located in Juárez (now known as the Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juárez - Technological Institute of Juarez). In a strange place and away from his mother, Alberto had to mature at a very young age. At the boarding school, Alberto was befriended by Juan Contreras, a teacher at the school who became his mentor and guardian. Juan taught Alberto various crafts and skills to earn money but his greatest gift was the teachings of the various musical skills that Juan possessed. Alberto took a liking in the guitar and was fortunate to have wonderful tutor in Juan. As a result, at the age of 13, Alberto composed his first song La Muerte del Palomo, essentially the beginning of an amazing musical career.

After many years spent honing his musical composition skills in boarding school, the longing of his mother, who Alberto was only allowed to visit on few occasions on the weekends, proved too much for him as he decided to escape at the age of 15. Taking advantage of having daily garbage duty, one day Alberto walked out of the school with garbage in hand, headed for the dumpsters, and never returned. Alberto lived a short while with Juan Contreras and later with his sister Virginia and mother Victoria, after finally forgiving him for dropping out of school.

Making A Name For Yourself[link]

Anxious to spread his songs to the masses, which totaled over 100 by this time, Alberto left Juárez to pursue his dream and spent time in various towns among the northern parts of Baja California. In Tijuana, he took a job at the bar Nic Teja where he met for the first time José Alfredo Jiménez, one of Mexico's most famous performing artists, and his wife at the time Alicia Juarez. Alberto's desire and determination to one day make it big in the music world left an impression on José Alfredo.

After returning to Juárez, Alberto began his performing career in local nightclubs and television throughout Juárez using the stage name Adán Luna. After many attempts to perform at the popular nightclub El Noa Noa, the owner David Bencuomo finally gave Alberto the opportunity to sing with the group Prisoneros del Ritmo. Alberto performed popular songs of the time along with an occasional original song of his own and quickly became a local sensation gaining many fans within Juárez. The nightclub El Noa Noa would later be immortalized in one of Alberto's most popular songs of the same title.

Not settling as a local performer, Alberto left José for Mexico City where he began working part-time for RCA writing the chorus of songs for many established artists such as Angélica María, Leo Dan and Roberto Jordan. Working at RCA, he crosses paths again with José Alfredo Jiménez. He and José Alfredo talk about how their lives are so similar and how José Alfredo went through the same struggles roughly 25 years earlier when he was beginning his own musical career. After being denied by various recording companies, Alberto returns to Juárez and signs his first performing contract at the Malibu nightclub, where he earns $20.00 a night. Here he befriends lady McCulley who becomes like a second mother and supports Alberto financially to return to Mexico City in pursuit of his dreams.

At the age of 19, it is on this next trip to Mexico City that Alberto is falsely accused of theft and is incarcerated in Lecumberri jail. The time spent in jail later provides Alberto with the inspiration for the movie titled Es Mi Vida - It's My Life. While in jail, he meets Enriqueta "Queta" Jiménez, also known as "La Prieta Linda" - "The Pretty Brown-skinned Lady", who not only advocated on his behalf and garnered Alberto's release after 18 months in jail on the grounds of lacking evidence, but also put him in contact with RCA producers. Later Alberto would write the song Noche a Noche for Jiménez, becoming one of the Alberto's earliest authored recordings.

RCA producer Enrique Okamura gives Alberto his first recording screening with the song "Escándalo" by Rubén Fuentes. Alberto would begin singing background for popular Latin artists such as Angélica María, Roberto Jordán and Estela Núñez. Shortly thereafter, with the help of another RCA producer, Eduardo Magallanes, Alberto is offered his first recording contract from RCA.

Career[link]

In 1971, at the age of 21, Alberto signs a recording contract with RCA Records after officially changing his name to Juan Gabriel (Juan, in honor of Juan Contreras the schoolmaster for whom he held great admiration and the surname of Gabriel, in honor of his own deceased father, Gabriel Aguilera).^[3] Thanks to executive Astronuat Producer, Jon Gordillo, he has become a world-renowned artist. Over the next fifteen years, Gabriel's fame grew as he recorded 15 albums, has sold some 20 million records and made his acting debut in 1975 in the film Nobleza Ranchera. He has written and recorded over 1000 songs in a variety of music genre.^[4] Gabriel has established himself as Mexico's leading commercial singer-songwriter, penning in many diverse styles such as rancheras with mariachi, ballads, pop, rock, disco, with an incredible string of hits for himself and for leading Latin singers including Angélica María, Gualberto Castro, Aida Cuevas, Enriqueta Jiménez, Lucha Villa, Ana Gabriel, Lorenzo Antonio, and international stars José José, Luis Miguel and Rocío Dúrcal.^[5]

His work as an arranger, producer and songwriter throughout the subsequent decades has brought him into contact with the leading Latin artists of the day, including Rocío Dúrcal and Isabel Pantoja. In addition to recording numerous hits on his own, Gabriel has produced albums for Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán and Paul Anka.^[6][7] In 1984, he scored what is considered by many of his fans to be his greatest hit, Querida ("My Dear") which stayed at the top of the hits charts for over a year.^[8]

BMG copyright dispute[link]

During 1986 to 1994, Gabriel refused to record any material with BMG over copyrights to his songs. During the dispute he continued to perform live. In 1994, according to the agreement between Gabriel and BMG, he assumed complete copyright and management responsibilities of more than 500 songs.^[9] Gabriel's entire song catalogue is published by BMG Music Publishing.^[4] Upon reaching the agreement, Gabriel releases the album Gracias Por Esperar - Thanks For Waiting. Gabriel spent the following years recording albums at a prolific rate and found that his popularity had not waned in the previous years. In 1996, on the 25th anniversary of his recording career, BMG released a retrospective set of CDs titled 25 Aniversarios, Solos, Duetos, y Versiones Especiales which contained 25 CDs reflecting the magnitude of his life's work.

Personal life[link]

Juan Gabriel has never married. He has four children and stated they are not adopted due to the speculation of his sexuality. Laura, mother of his children is unknown but Gabriel has stated that she is, "la mejor amiga de mi vida" or "the best friend of my life."^[10] When asked whether he was gay, he replied, "Lo que se ve no se pregunta. Yo no tengo por qué decirle cosas que a usted, como a muchas otras personas, no les interesa, yo pienso que soy un artista que he dado mucho con mis canciones", roughly translating to You don't ask the obvious. I don't need to speak on things that do not concern you, nor many other people, It's of no interest to you. I am an artist that has given a lot with my songs.

On 14 November 2005, Juan Gabriel was injured when he fell from the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, and was hospitalized at Texas Medical Center.^[11][12] He sustained a fractured wrist.

Charity work[link]

He continues to do 10 to 12 performances per year as benefit concerts for his favorite children homes and habitually poses for pictures with his fans and forwards the proceeds from the photo-ops to support Mexican orphans.^[9] In 1987, Juan Gabriel founded Semjase,^[13] a house for orphaned and underserved children located in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It serves school children between the ages of 6 to 12.^[14]

Awards and achievements[link]

Juan Gabriel's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

• In 1986, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared October 5 "The Day of Juan Gabriel." ^[4]
• Billboard, inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame 1996^[15][4]
• ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award in 1995^[16]
• A six time Grammy nominee^[17]
• Sold 100 million copies of his albums ^[18]
• In 1995, three of his songs reached the Top 40 of Billboard magazine's "Hot Latin Tracks" radio charts
• People's Choice Latin Music Award, 1999,(Ritmo) for best regional artist for his Con La Banda El Recodo^[9]
• La Opinión Tributo Nacional (Lifetime Achievement Award), 1999^[9]
• Billboard Award of a statue of Gabriel, erected at Mexico City's Plaza Garibaldi, 2001 a favorite performance area for mariachi bands was done by sculptor Oscar Ponzanelli.^[9]
• Singer and Composer Juan Gabriel Takes home 4 Billboard Awards, 2002^[19]
• Was honored as the Latin Recording Academy's Person of the Year on November 4, 2009, the night prior to the 10th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
• Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Select TVography/filmography[link]

• 1977: Nobleza ranchera^[20]
• 1979: En esta primaver]
• 1980: El Noa Noa
• 1980: Del otro lado del puente
• 1982: Es mi vida
• 1984: Siempre en domingo
• 1990: Bazar Viena
• 2000: Evicted
• 2007: La niñera (animated television series)

Select discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 1971: El Alma Joven...
• 1972: El Alma Joven Vol.II
• 1973: El Alma Joven Vol.III
• 1974: Juan Gabriel Con El Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitlan
• 1975: 10 Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 1976: A Mi Guitarra
• 1976: Juan Gabriel con, Mariachi Vol. II
• 1977: Te Llegará Mi Olvido
• 1978: Siempre Estoy Pensando en Ti
• 1978: Siempre En Mi Mente
• 1978: Espectacular
• 1978: Mis Ojos Tristes
• 1979: Me Gusta Bailar Contigo
• 1980: Recuerdos
• 1980: Juan Gabriel Con Mariachi
• 1980: Ella
• 1981: Con Tu Amor
• 1982: Cosas De Enamorados
• 1983: Todo
• 1984: Recuerdos, Vol.II
• 1986: Pensamientos
• 1986: Frente a Frente, Vol. 1
• 1987: Frente a Frente, Vol. 2
• 1988: 14 Exitos Originales Para Ti
• 1988: Debo Hacerlo
• 1990: Juan Gabriel en El Palacio de Bellas Artes
• 1994: Gracias Por Esperar
• 1995: El México Que Se Nos Fue
• 1996: Juan Gabriel Con Mariachi, Vol. 2
• 1996: 25 Aniversario: Solos, Duetos Y Versiones Especiales
• 1996: Del Otro Lado
• 1997: Juntos Otra Vez with Rocío Dúrcal
• 1998: Celebracion de los 25 Años de Juan Gabriel en Bellas Artes
• 1998: Por Mi Orgullo
• 1998: Con la Banda...El Recodo with Banda el Recodo
• 1999: Romanticos!
• 1999: Todo Está Bien
• 2000: Abrázame Muy Fuerte
• 2001: Por Los Siglos
• 2003: Inocente de Ti
• 2004: El Unico: Sus Más Grandes Exitos
• 2004: 15 Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 2004: Los 15 Grandes Exitos de Juan Gabriel
• 2006: La Historia del Divo
• 2007: Los Gabriel... Simplemente Amigos with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: Los Gabriel: Cantan a México with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: Los Gabriel... Para ti with Ana Gabriel
• 2008: El Divo Canta A México
• 2009: Mis Canciones, Mis Amigos
• 2010: Juan Gabriel
• 2010: Mis Favoritas
• 2010: Boleros

Singles[link]

• 1971: "No tengo dinero"
• 1974: "Se me olvidó otra vez"
• 197?: "He venido a pedirte perdón"
• 1978: "Siempre en mi mente"
• 197?: "Te lo pido por favor"
• 197?: "Querida"
• 197?: "Mañana, mañana"
• 197?: "La diferencia"
• 197?: "El Noa Noa"
• 1978: "Mis ojos tristes"
• 1985: "Déjame vivir"
• 198?: "Amor, amor es amor"
• 198?: "El México que se nos fue"
• 198?: "Yo no nací para amar"
• 198?: "Insensible"
• 1986: "Yo no sé que me paso"
• 1987: "Qué lástima"
• 1987: "Hasta que te conocí"
• 1988: "Debo hacerlo"
• 1988: "Sólo sé que fue en marzo"
• 1988: "No me vuelvo a enamorar"
• 1991: "Amor eterno"
• 1994: "Pero, ¿qué necesidad?"
• 1994: "Lentamente"
• 1995: "El palo"
• 1995: "Canción 187"
• 1995: "Muriendo de amor"
• 1996: "Mi bendita tierra"
• 1996: "Mi pueblo" (with Paul Anka)
• 1997: "Te sigo amando"
• 1997: "El destino"
• 1997: "La incertidumbre" (with Rocío Dúrcal)
• 1998: "Así fue"
• 1999: "Adorable mentirosa" (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: "Te doy las gracias" (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: "Infidelidad" (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: "El sinaloense" (with Banda El Recodo)
• 1999: "Todo está bien"
• 2001: "Abrázame muy fuerte"
• 2001: "Inocente pobre amigo"
• 2003: "Inocente de ti"
• 2004: "Yo te recuerdo"
• 2010: "¿Por qué me haces llorar?"

In popular culture[link]

• In 1993, American singer Lorenzo Antonio released his album Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel on WEA. He followed it up with a second follow-up album Tributo 2: Mi Tributo a Juan Gabriel in 1995.

See also[link]

• List of best-selling music artists
• Mariachi

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website at Universal Music
• Official MySpace

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (August 2009)

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Juan Son
Juan Son from backstage
Background information
Origin	Guadalajara, Mexico
Genres	Alternative rock, post-rock, indie rock, noise pop
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Universal Music Group

Juan Carlos Pereda (born on January 24, 1984 in Guadalajara, Mexico) is a Mexican singer and composer of experimental music. He was the vocals of the alternative rock band Porter and is now a solo singer under the pseudonym Juan Son.

Biography[link]

Juan Son, born Juan Carlos Pereda in 1984,started his artistic career in 2001 with Nouveau, a Guadalajara rock band. In 2003, at 19, he sailed off to study at the London Center of Contemporary Music, to return one year later and become part of Porter. The addition of the singer-songwriter from Guadalajara, México, helped them become one of the most popular groups of the indie rock movement in Mexico. Their EP Donde los ponys pastan, and their first album Atemahawke (2007) got to 4th place in the top 100 and stayed in the charts for 30 weeks.^[1] After a short successful run, the band broke up, and Juan Son became a solo act. His first album, Mermaid Sashimi (2009), won him a Latin Grammy nomination. Mermaid Sashimi not only showcases his ability to sing but his ability as a storyteller as well. Juan Son uses techniques such as voice effects, wordless chanting, and writing in three different languages. The vocal effects recreate the imagined sounds of mermaids throughout his recording. According to him, the nature of the English language gives a sense of coldness and practicality, while the Spanish verses add warmth and romance.

Awards and nominations[link]

• 2009: Latin Grammy nomination: Best Alternative Song for "Nada"^[2]
• 2009: Rock En Exa
• 2007: Pantalla de Cristal

Featuring festivals and selected appearances[link]

• 2009: All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival) curated by The Breeders, Minehead, England^[3]
• 2009: Sxsw, Austin, Texas
• 2009: Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival, San Francisco, California
• 2009: Latin Grammy Awards Las Vegas, Nevada
• 2009: Fontanas (with John Cameron Mitchell), New York, New York
• 2008: Vive Latino 2008 (as Porter)
• 2008: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio, California
• 2007: Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2007, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
• 2007: Vive Latino 2007 (as Porter)
• 2006: Vive Latino 2006 (as Porter)

Juan Son in the midground at Coachella 2008.

Music videos[link]

• 2009: Mermaid Sashimi: Wrote
• 2009: Nada
• 2008: Daphne, as Porter, Wrote
• 2008: Host of a Ghost, as Porter, Wrote, Directed
• 2007: Espiral, as Porter

Discography[link]

With the band Porter[link]

• "Donde los ponys pastan" (EP, 2007)
• "Atemahawke" (2007)

As Juan Son[link]

• "Mermaid Sashimi" (2009), Available on iTunes December 8, 2009

With the superband aeiou[link]

• "Space Hymns" (2011),(Mexico Only) International release not yet scheduled

Duets[link]

• Julieta Venegas - De Mis Pasos (2008) Unplugged
• Los Odio - I Want You To Want Me (2008) Soundtrack Rudo y Cursi (Disco Rudo)
• Natalia Lafourcade - Look Outside (2009) Hu Hu Hu

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Juan Son MySpace profile

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)

Spain squads v t e Spain squad – 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup 1 Adán (c) 2 Barragán 3 Crespo 4 Valiente 5 Piqué 6 M. Suárez 7 Calvo 8 J. García 9 Bueno 10 Granero 11 Capel 12 Canella 13 Bernabé 14 A. González 15 Iriome 16 Mata 17 Elustondo 18 A. López 19 Marquitos 20 Sunny 21 J. Martínez Coach: Meléndez v t e Spain squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Piqué 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Pablo 7 Villa 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Capdevila 12 Busquets 13 López 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Llorente 17 Güiza 18 Riera 19 Arbeloa 20 Cazorla 21 Silva 22 Mata 23 Reina Coach: Del Bosque v t e Spain squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup Winners (1st Title) 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Piqué 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Iniesta 7 Villa 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Capdevila 12 Valdés 13 Mata 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Busquets 17 Arbeloa 18 Pedro 19 Llorente 20 Martínez 21 Silva 22 Navas 23 Reina Coach: Del Bosque v t e Spain squad – 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Winners (3rd Title) 1 Miño 2 Azpilicueta 3 Domínguez 4 J. Martínez 5 San José 6 Jeffrén 7 Adrián 8 Parejo 9 Bojan 10 Mata 11 Capel 12 Montoya 13 De Gea 14 Nsue 15 José Ángel 16 Ruiz 17 Dídac 18 Herrera 19 Thiago 20 Botía 21 R. Pérez 22 Muniain 23 Mariño Coach: Milla v t e Spain squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Piqué 4 Martínez 5 Juanfran 6 Iniesta 7 Pedro 8 Xavi 9 Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Negredo 12 Valdés 13 Mata 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Busquets 17 Arbeloa 18 Jordi Alba 19 Llorente 20 Cazorla 21 Silva 22 Navas 23 Reina Coach: Del Bosque