Juan Mata

Juan Manuel Mata García known as Juan Mata is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English club Manchester United and the Spain national team. He is a central attacking midfielder, but sometimes he also play on the wing.

Early Life Of Juan Mata

Mata was born in the town of Burgos, Burgos. He inherited his name from his father, Juan Manuel Mata Rodríguez, who was also a footballer, playing as a forward for nearby Burgos CF in the 1980s and early 1990s. Mata enjoys table-tennis, a sport he played as a child. Upon his move to Chelsea, he said he also enjoys sightseeing around London. He gained a nickname at Chelsea – “Johnny Kills” – the literal translation of his name from Spanish into English. His name translates as “forest” or “dweller by the forest.” Mata attended the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid studying journalism.

Career of Juan Mata

Juan Manuel Mata began his football career at Real Oviedo, where his father spent most of his career, and stayed there for three years before joining Real Madrid at age 15. Overlooked by the Madrid hierarchy for the Real Madrid first team, Mata eventually agreed to sign for Valencia CF for the 2007–08 season.
Benefitting from constant injuries to Vicente and the ostracism to which then-manager Ronald Koeman subjected Miguel Ángel Angulo, Mata gradually carved a niche into Valencia’s starting eleven. Since, he has not looked back and has become the talk of much transfer speculation in recent seasons.

On November 14, 2008, Vicente del Bosque called Mata up for the senior Spanish national team to play in a friendly against Chile. Mata did not leave the bench, but finally made his debut in the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Turkey. Included in Spain’s 2010 World Cup squad, Mata is now an integral member of the team.