Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and he can also play as a winger.
Mata played at Real Madrid Castilla for the 2006–07 season, where he finished the season as the side's second best scorer with 10 goals. At 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. Mata won the Copa del Rey in his debut season at Valencia. Following his debut for Valencia in 2007, Mata became an integral part of the club's midfield, making over 174 appearances for the duration of four seasons.[1] 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 €28 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 won the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup in his debut season at Chelsea. He also won the club's Player of the Year award. After scoring a goal against Monterrey in the Club World Cup he has now scored on his debut in the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Capital One Cup and Club World Cup for Chelsea.
Mata is a Spanish international, having represented Spain at under-16, under-17, under-19, under-20, under-21, Olympic 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, 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.