Juan Mata

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 was raised in his father's home town of Oviedo, Asturias.

His father later acted as Mata's agent, becoming FIFA-registered in the process.

In his spare time, Mata enjoys table tennis, a sport he played as a child.

Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer.

He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, but can also play as a winger.

Currently a free agent, he most recently played for J1 League club Vissel Kobe.

Mata started his football career at Real Oviedo in 2000, where his father spent part of his career, before joining Real Madrid's youth academy, La Fábrica, in 2003 at the age of 15.

After appearing for their Cadete A team, he then swiftly progressed through the junior teams, Juvenil C and finally Juvenil A.

In his last campaign (2005–06), he scored two 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 Copa del Rey Juvenil.

A graduate of Real Madrid's youth academy, Mata played for Real Madrid Castilla in 2006–07, before joining Valencia in the summer of 2007.

He became an integral part of the club's midfield, making 174 appearances over the course of four seasons and winning the Copa del Rey.

Switching to Real Madrid Castilla in 2006–07, Mata was given the number 34 shirt in the first team, while wearing number 28 in Castilla.

In spite of Castilla's final Segunda División relegation, he finished the season as the side's second best scorer with nine, behind striker Álvaro Negredo, who registered 18.

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 2007, with the contract starting on 30 June 2007.

Benefitting from constant injuries to Vicente and the ostracism to which then-manager Ronald Koeman condemned Miguel Ángel Angulo, Mata gradually carved a niche in Valencia's first eleven.

On 20 March 2008, he scored twice in the Copa del Rey semi-final match against FC Barcelona to help Valencia reach the final against Getafe CF where, on 16 April, he scored the opener in a 3–1 win.

During that first season, he was voted the team's Best Young Player by fans and players alike.

In the 2008 Spanish SuperCup, Mata scored against his former club Real Madrid in a 3–2 first leg win, 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 in a 3–0 win.

He also scored the only goal of the game against CA Osasuna, latching on to a long ball from David Villa.

On 25 September 2008, Mata proved to be growing in efficiency, as he set up two of his teammate's goals in a 2–0 away win over Málaga CF.

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.

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, 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.

He achieved impressive stats during the season, finishing with 11 successful strikes and 13 assists, behind just Barcelona's Xavi as the league's best.

In the following two seasons, Mata was an ever present offensive figure for Valencia, scoring 17 goals in 68 league games combined, with the club achieving back-to-back third-league places.

Mata debuted for Spain in 2009 and played at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, his first senior tournament.

In September 2009, Mata scored his first goal for the senior team, against Estonia, securing the nation a place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and was part of Spain's World Cup-winning squad.

In 2011, Mata signed for English club Chelsea for a fee believed to be in the region of €28 million and established himself as the team's focal player.

In his first two seasons, he won the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Europa League.

In 2011, he resumed playing in the under-21 side, helping Spain win the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Denmark.

He won the Golden Player award and was part of the Team of the Tournament.

On 10 April 2011, he scored two in a 5–0 home win against Valencian neighbours Villarreal CF.

On 9 May, England-based Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué reported interest from several Premier League clubs.

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.

Mata returned to the senior squad for UEFA Euro 2012 and, after coming on as a substitute, scored Spain's fourth goal in the final as Spain defeated Italy 4–0 to retain their title as champions of Europe.

Mata was born in Burgos, Castile and León.

Despite Mata's stature at the club, he fell out of favour at Chelsea under newly appointed manager José Mourinho and was sold to Manchester United in January 2014, for a fee of £37.1 million.

He made 285 appearances over nine seasons at United, winning the Europa League and FA Cup again as well as the EFL Cup and FA Community Shield.

He joined Galatasaray after his contract with United expired in the summer of 2022, where he won the first league title of his career.