Juan Mata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Juan Manuel Mata)
Jump to: navigation, search
Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata.jpg
Personal information
Full name Juan Manuel Mata García
Date of birth 28 April 1988 (1988-04-28) (age 23)
Place of birth Burgos, Spain
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1][2]
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current club Chelsea
Number 10
Youth career
1998–2003 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 22 (5)
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 14 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2011.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 October 2011
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Mata and the second or maternal family name is García.

Juan Manuel Mata García (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwan manˈwel ˈmata]; born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea. He is primarily a winger, he can also operate down the middle as an attacking midfielder.[3]

Mata started his football career at Real Oviedo spending three year there, joining Real Madrid. He progressed through the junior teams and successfully graduated from their youth academy. In March 2007, he signed for Valencia CF and spent the majority of his senior career with them, making 174 appearances, before 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 for Chelsea against Norwich City, where he came on as a substitute. Since with Chelsea, Mata has shown himself to be a play-making influence for, both scoring goals and creating them.

Contents

[edit] Club career

[edit] Early career

Juan Mata was born on 28 April 1988 in the town of Ocón de Villafranca, Burgos[4] – 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 18 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).

[edit] Valencia

Mata had a contractual 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 2007, starting in 2007–08.[5]

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[6] where, on 16 April, he netted the opener in a 3–1 win.[7] 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 3–2 first leg victory, 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 RCD Mallorca (3–0 win).[8] He also netted the only goal of the game against CA Osasuna, latching on to a long ball from David Villa.[9]

On 25 September 2008, Mata's understanding with Villa proved to be growing in efficiency, as he set up both of his teammate's goals in a 2–0 away win over Málaga CF.[10] 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.[11]

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,[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] On 9 May, England-based Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué reported interest from several Premier League clubs.[15]

[edit] Chelsea

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.[16][17][18] 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."[19]

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.[20] Mata follows on from Chelsea players Mark Hughes, Ian Hutchinson and Terry Venables in adopting the number 10 shirt.[21]

[edit] 2011–12 season

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.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25] 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.[26] 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 made two assists for both of Didier Drogba goals.[27][28] The game ended a 3-0 victory, which resulted in Chelsea qualifying first in their group.[29] On Boxing Day, Mata scored his side's only goal in a 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge against Fulham.[30] 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.

[edit] International career

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

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.[31]

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.[32] 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.[33]

[edit] International goals

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

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Club

As of 05 February 2012.

Juan Mata Profile

Club Performance League Cup Other Cup Continental Total
Club Season Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Spain La Liga Copa del Rey Other Cup1 UEFA Total
Real Madrid B 2006–07 39 10 - — — — 39 10 -
Total 39 10 - — — — 39 10 -
Valencia 2007–08 24 5 1 8 4 1 — 1 0 0 33 9 2
2008–09 37 11 17 4 2 2 — 6 1 1 47 14 20
2009–10 35 9 5 2 0 0 — 14 5 7 51 14 12
2010–11 33 8 13 3 0 2 — 7 1 3 43 9 18
Total 129 33 36 17 6 5 — 28 7 11 174 46 52
England Premier League FA Cup Other Cup2 UEFA Total
Chelsea 2011–12 20 5 9 2 2 0 1 0 0 6 2 2 29 9 11
Total 20 5 9 2 2 0 1 0 0 6 2 2 29 9 11
Career total 188 48 45 19 8 5 1 0 0 34 9 13 242 65 63
1Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España.
2Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield and Carling Cup.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Club

Valencia CF
Chelsea FC

[edit] Country

Spain
Spain U19
Spain U21

[edit] Individual

[edit] Personal life

Mata attended the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, studying journalism. In his spare time, he enjoys playing table-tennis.[34]

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.[35]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Mata Chelsea profile". Chelseafc.com. 17 February 2012. 
  2. ^ "Mata Premier profile". Premier League. 17 February 2012. http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/players/profile.overview.html/juan-mata. 
  3. ^ "Mata Profile - Chelsea". Chelsea FC official website. 26 August 2011. http://www.chelseafc.com/page/PlayerProfileDetail/0,,10268~40729,00.html. Retrieved 26 August 2011. 
  4. ^ "La culminación del sueño de seis Campeones de Europa [The culmination of a dream for six champions of Europe]". rfef.es. 2011-08-26. http://www.rfef.es/index.jsp?nodo=39&ID=3995. 
  5. ^ "El Valencia le quita al Real Madrid al prometedor y cotizado Mata [Valencia steals promising, highly-rated Mata from Real Madrid]" (in Spanish). Marca. 17 March 2007. http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/1a_division/valencia/es/desarrollo/750885.html. Retrieved 7 February 2008. 
  6. ^ Mata seizes final chance for Valencia; UEFA.com, 20 March 2008
  7. ^ Morientes glad as Valencia get relief; UEFA.com, 16 April 2008
  8. ^ "Valencia 3-0 Mallorca". ESPNsoccernet. 30 August 2008. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=253096&cc=5739. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  9. ^ "Valencia 1-0 Osasuna". ESPNsoccernet. 21 September 2008. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=252834&cc=5739. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  10. ^ "Málaga 0-2 Valencia". ESPNsoccernet. 25 September 2008. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=252768&cc=5739. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  11. ^ Villa goals ensure Valencia victory; UEFA.com, 28 September 2008
  12. ^ "Sporting Gijon 2-3 Valencia". ESPNsoccernet. 12 April 2009. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=252826&cc=5739. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  13. ^ "Valencia 3-1 Sevilla FC". ESPNsoccernet. 19 April 2009. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=253093&cc=5739. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  14. ^ "Valencia put five past Villarreal". ESPNsoccernet. 10 April 2011. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=302117&cc=5739. Retrieved 24 May 2011. 
  15. ^ "Liverpool, City and Manchester United show interest in Mata". Guillem Balague's website. 9 May 2011. http://www.guillembalague.com/rumores_desp.php?id=293&titulo=Liverpool,%20City%20and%20Manchester%20United%20show%20interest%20in%20Mata. Retrieved 11 May 2011. 
  16. ^ "Official announcement". Valencia C.F. 21 August 2011. http://www.valenciacf.com/contenidos/Actualidad/Noticias/2011/08/Noticia_31170.html. Retrieved 21 August 2011. 
  17. ^ "Valencia agree to sell Juan Mata to Chelsea". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 21 August 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14600979.stm. Retrieved 21 August 2011. 
  18. ^ "Mata Deal Agreed". chelseafc.com. 22 August 2011. http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2427778,00.html. Retrieved 22 August 2011. 
  19. ^ "JUAN MATA DEAL COMPLETED". Manchester united official website. 24 August 2011. http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2430847,00.html. Retrieved 24 August 2011. 
  20. ^ Juan Mata Tweet. Twitter. August 26, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  21. ^ "MATA TO TAKE 10". Manchester United official website. 26 August 2011. http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2433219,00.html. Retrieved 26 August 2011. 
  22. ^ "Ten Canaries downed after Ruddy dismissal". ESPN Soccernet official website. 27 August 2011. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=317983&cc=5901. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
  23. ^ Blackburn, Martin. The Sun (London). http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3807237/Sunderland-1-Chelsea-2.html. 
  24. ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=331226&cc=5901
  25. ^ http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2498531,00.html
  26. ^ "Chelsea 3 Wolves 0: Juan the man for Blues boss as super Spaniard Mata lifts the gloom over Villas-Boas". London: Sportsmail Reporter. 26 November 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2066486/Chelsea-3-Wolverhampton-0-Andre-Villas-Boas-track.html. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  27. ^ Winter, Henry (7 December 2011). "Didier Drogba's double keeps Chelsea's Champions League dream alive". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/champions-league/8938689/Didier-Drogbas-double-keeps-Chelseas-Champions-League-dream-alive.html. 
  28. ^ Custis, Shaun. The Sun (London). http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3982216/Chelsea-3-Valencia-0.html. 
  29. ^ Lawton, Matt (7 December 2011). "Chelsea 3 Valencia 0: Top Drog fires Blues through and AVB can breathe a little easier". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2070758/Chelsea-3-Valencia-0-Didier-Drogba-scores-twice.html. 
  30. ^ Burt, Jason (26 December 2011). "Chelsea 1 Fulham 1: match report". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/8973158/Chelsea-1-Fulham-1-match-report.html. 
  31. ^ Spain sweep into U19 final; UEFA.com, 26 July 2006
  32. ^ Fabregas and Mata on target for Spain; ESPNsoccernet, 10 September 2009
  33. ^ Mata: A born winner who grew up fast; Independent.co.uk, 29 July 2011
  34. ^ "Juan Manuel Mata's biography" (in Spanish). Official website. http://www.juanmanuelmata.com/matabio.htm. Retrieved 7 February 2008. 
  35. ^ Mata could buy out Valencia contract to complete Barcelona move

[edit] External links

Chelsea F.C. – current squad
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juan_Mata&oldid=478456754"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages