Juan Mata

Regarded as one of the top free-kickers in Europe with flawless ball-control, Spanish professional footballer Juan Mata has repeatedly delivered consistently stellar performances on the field. He has been honoured as the UEFA Under-21 Championship Golden Player, Premier League Player of the Month, and Chelsea Player of the Year twice, lending his skills to team victories in two FA Cups, two Europa Leagues, three UEFA Championships, an FA Community Shield, an EFL Cup, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Mata currently plays as an attacking midfielder for both his home country and Manchester United, who have extended his contract until June 2021. His current stats include over four hundred appearances between Real Madrid Castilla, Valencia, Chelsea, and Manchester United with close to a hundred goals, and a total of ninety-seven caps and thirty-three goals for Spain’s national team. He was one of the first two players in history to hold simultaneous wins for the Champions League, Europa League, World Cup, and European Championships.

Mata began playing officially at the age of ten under Real Oviedo, moving to Real Madrid’s youth academy five years later where he would be picked up by their reserve team. Now more than a decade into his career, he hasn’t slowed down, extending himself into charity work as a co-founder of the pledge-based Common Goal and ambassador for the non-profit streetfootballworld. Mata also regularly updates his own football blog, One Hour Behind, frequently sharing insights into his life with his eight million followers on Twitter.