From Spain and England, to Turkey and Japan. Now, Australia is the latest stop on a decorated footballing journey.
Western Sydney Wanderers are the new home of Juan Mata – a transformative force, on and off the pitch.
This is a bona fide superstar, who has the FIFA Men’s World Cup, European Championship, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, FA Cup Turkish Super Lig and J1 League among his incredible list of honours in what is another huge coup for the Isuzu UTE A-League this season.
Mata’s arrival sets the scene for a mouth-watering Round 1 Sydney Derby at CommBank Stadium on October 19, with former Bayern Munich, Juventus and Brazil winger Douglas Costa among the ranks at Sydney FC on the other side of the derby divide.
For the 36-year-old attacker, it all began at his beloved hometown Real Oviedo in 2000. It is where his father spent part of his career and where Mata would watch the team play as a boy. Twelve years later, he joined forces with the likes of Santi Cazorla and Michu to help save the Spanish club from extinction.
A graduate of Real Madrid’s youth academy having arrived in 2003, Mata played for the club’s Castilla side in 2006-07 before joining LaLiga’s Valencia in 2007.
Mata was an integral part of a Valencia team boasting Davila Villa, Santiago Canizares, Raul Albiol, Ruben Baraja, Fernando Morientes, Joaquin and David Silva.
That season, Valencia won the Copa del Rey for the seventh time in their storied history.
After four seasons, cashed-up Chelsea – coached by Andre Villa-Boast at the time – spent around $AUD46million to prise Mata from Valencia in 2011.
At Stamford Bridge, Mata established himself as Chelsea’s focal point and, in his first two seasons with the Blues, he won the Champions League, FA Cup and Europa League.
A fan favourite in London, he also won back-to-back Player of the Year honours at Chelsea, such was his impact after scoring 12 goals in season one – only bettered by Frank Lampard (16), Didier Drogba (13) and Daniel Sturridge (13). The following campaign, only Fernando Torres (22) scored more goals than Mata (20) at Chelsea, who also had Eden Hazard in their ranks.
Then, Manchester United came calling in 2014. In their first season after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and with David Moyes at the helm, the reigning Premier League champions at the time splashed the cash to sign Mata, investing $AUD72m to bring the Spaniard to Old Trafford – a club-record fee then.
In 285 appearances across nine seasons with United, Mata scored 51 goals and won the Europa League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Community Shield before joining Turkish giants Galatasaray as a free agent in 2022.
During his one season in Istanbul, he got his hands on the Turkish Super Lig title – the first league trophy of his career, alongside Napoli legend Dries Mertens and former Inter captain Mauro Icardi.
“I am not sad because it ended, I am happy because it happened,” he wrote after leaving Galatasaray. “To you, Cim Bom fans: I am so proud to be part of this family forever.
“The atmosphere that you create in our stadium and our away games is second to none, I can tell you that. It ALWAYS feels like we play at home. You are without a doubt one of the best fans in the world.
“Thanks, from the bottom of my heart, for the love you’ve given me and my family everywhere: in the streets, in the stadium, in the training ground… You are unique and essential for the club. I wish you all the happy moments that you deserve. I will never forget you!”
Mata then spent a brief spell at Japan’s Vissel Kobe, where the club won their first J1 League crown last season after following in the footsteps of countryman Andres Iniesta, denying Kevin Muscat’s Yokohama F.Marinos.
Mata, though, is a rare breed of footballer as he heads Down Under.
Despite boasting a trophy cabinet like few others, there is no bloated ego but you could forgive him if that was indeed the case.
This is a man who has been out to transform, not only football but the world.
Mata helped found Common Goal in 2017 – a pledge-based charitable movement by streetfootballworld for the football industry, with footballers contributing 1% of their salary to the collective fund.
“I don’t want these to sound like empty words,” Mata said at the time via The Guardian. “The idea is brilliant.”
“Football sometimes has a bad reputation,” he continued. “Some of that is deserved … and some of it isn’t. There is a huge amount of money in the game, it is true. I’m not criticising that. If these salaries and transfer fees are paid it is because they can be. Compared to almost all other areas of society, there is a lot of money [but] when you work in an industry – any industry – and you want a pay rise, say, you compare yourself to what others in your industry are earning.
“Football generates a lot of money but there has to be a social responsibility that goes with that. It can positively affect people’s lives. It can help and that helps football too.
“People look at the negative sides of football but a lot of players and clubs already do a lot. People say: ‘Oh, they’re only doing it for their image’. I don’t agree: they’re still doing it but mostly it is on an individual level.
“This idea is more global, which gives it more power, more reach and makes it more effective. If we can do something collective and make it part of the system, if it can be structured and effective with a central, shared fund, it can transform football into something more than just a sport.
“Football’s incomparable to anything else – perhaps only music has that same power to transform society. We have to translate that into something real.”
Melbourne Victory’s Alex Chidiac is part of it, as is teammate Beattie Goad and fellow Australians Libby Copus-Brown (Newcastle Jets), CommBank Matildas star Caitlin Foord (Arsenal), Aivi Luik (BK Hacken), Winonah Heatley (Nordsjaelland), Ayesha Norrie and Isobel Dalton (Perth Glory).
Common Goal is also involved in a partnership with Right to Dream, which is a global network of sports academies and schools that included top-flight Dutch club FC Nordsjaelland.
Nordsjaelland are also part of Common Goal and it is where Mata spent some time training this year following his Vissel Kobe departure.
Mata has been heavily involved since the four-year partnership was launched two years ago, with the goal of “disrupting the football industry’s status quo and make the game a true force for good in the world”.
“I think football is doing a lot of great things. But we are also realizing that we could be more efficient. This is not about willing, it’s about trying to make (a difference) in the best way to create the most impact in the world,” Mata told Forbes.
“When we created Common Goal, I had the same will as the boat driver, which is I wanted to help but I didn’t know how. Common Goal helped me and every single member who has joined to make it practical and to make it easy and to make it effective. And I think that was missing.
“Professional football is an incredible industry in terms of the money that it creates. And so I really believe that it can be – and it is – a game changer in terms of trying to make society on a global scale a bit more equal.”
Mata’s presence is now set to make an impact on and off the field in the A-Leagues.
“I’m feeling, again, very thankful to football for the many experiences and joy that keeps bringing to my life,” he wrote on social media. “Today, a new adventure is starting, and I’m super excited about it! I will keep enjoying this amazing sport by playing not only in a different country… but in a different continent: AUSTRALIA, HERE I GO!
“I have always been amazed with your country and longed to live there… Now, I will do it in the beautiful city of Sydney. I’m joining @wswanderersfc, the only Australian team to ever win the Asian Champions League, and I cannot wait to arrive and train with the team to prepare for the season ahead.
“Feeling grateful and excited for this new adventure, and looking forward to trying to win another championship in a different league! Let’s go Western Sydney Wanderers, I’m one of you.”
