Ahead of Western Sydney’s huge clash with Auckland FC in Round 16, aleagues.com.au reporter James Dodd sits down with Spanish superstar Juan Mata to discuss his start to life in Australia and his possible role in the competition’s future.
When you’ve won the FIFA World Cup, a European Championship, the UEFA Champions League plus a plethora of titles and trophies from leagues around the world, it’d be pretty easy to take your foot off the pedal as your career winds down.
“It’s always fascinating for me to move to a new country and be curious about life and football in that country,” said Mata when he sat down to chat with aleagues.com.au.
“So for me, it’s very interesting to live here, to get to know the A-Leagues, to get to know the teams, the club, the way football is understood here, the importance also that football has, or doesn’t have, off the pitch in the communities…”
A free agent for more than six months after departing Japanese champions Vissel Kobe in the J1 League, the thought of retirement may well have crossed Mata’s mind. However the chance to move to a new country – especially one as diverse and unique as Australia – proved to good an opportunity to turn down.
“I take every latest decision that I made in my life, of moving around the world, as a new stage,” he said. “A learning stage in a way.”
Learning is something Mata has done his entire career. From learning the fundamentals as a 12-year-old in the Real Oviedo academy to learning and fine-tuning the art of playing a defence-splitting pass during his time with Chelsea, Manchester United and many others, Mata’s style, both personal and professional, is seemingly all about learning.
Interestingly though, what Mata wishes to learn now could be music to the ears of all A-Leagues fans, not just those of Western Sydney Wanderers.
“I’m more curious to actually learn how the A-League is actually run, and how it works within the organisation,” Mata said.
“I think it’s (because) football is not the most relevant sport in this country. I’ve learned that, that happened also in Japan. When I was playing there, baseball was a much bigger sport. Here, of course, (it’s) Australian football (AFL) and rugby league. But I still feel that so many people love football in this country.
He continued: “They come to the games. They watch a lot of the Premier League, as you know, so I think the reality is good. Financially, probably suffering after COVID, and all I hear from the A-Leagues and from the clubs is that it’s not the best moment financially.
In November 2024, it was revealed the World Cup Winner had become a partner in the newest Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise, San Diego FC, who officially enter the competition this year.
Mata became the first active international footballer to have an ownership stake in an MLS side.
So if the Spaniard is investing in a league in which he hasn’t played, is investing in the game here in Australia something he’s considering, especially given he now has a unique understanding of what the game can offer?
The San Diego project is really interesting, because (it) also comes from the way I see football off the pitch and my involvement with Common Goal and Right To Dream, which is the ownership group of San Diego FC and other clubs in Europe, so I have good connection with the ownership.
“I like the values they want to bring into football and the care that they put in the education and the forming of players as humans, not only as football players. So I like that.
“I certainly think there’s an opportunity to maybe do something in Australia. I don’t know in what format, but since I’m here, since I’m learning more about (the) A-Leagues and Australian football, and since I know now how good the lifestyle is here, it’s something that I don’t rule out.
Whatever happens though, Mata’s approach to life after football is similar to that of when he’s in possession of the ball on the pitch: his ability means there are plenty of options in front of him.
“I’m not sure about what I’m going to do when I stop playing football,” he said. “What I know is that I love football. I love the game on the pitch. I love football also as a social tool for change, as a sport for impacting societies and communities.
“I’ve learned through the project Common Goal over the years that we are doing, and it’s also one of my goals, while I’m here, to push our movement forward in the country, which we already are quite established, but to grow it even more.
“What I’m trying to do, because I don’t exactly know what I want to do, is I’m trying to learn as much as I can. I’m doing the coaching license, I’m doing some executive courses within football, with FIFA with UEFA, with different organisations.
He added: “I love to be with the assistant coaches, to do the small games, to think about football. But I also like the other side, like you said, the potential that clubs have to try to create a better experience for the fans.”
Born in the northern Spanish city of Burgos, Mata was surrounded by football from a young age given his father, Juan Manuel, played for the now defunct local side Real Burgos CF and even helped them gain their first ever promotion to LaLiga in 1990.
But while Mata senior never got the chance to showcase his skills in Spain’s top tier, his son certainly did. Snapped up by Real Madrid’s academy aged 15, Mata would eventually go on to become one of the most talked about players in Spain during his time with Valencia before Premier League giants Chelsea came calling with a big-money offer.
The point here is that Mata was involved at a time in Spain when a generation of incredibly gifted, technically proficient and brave-on-the-ball players were beginning to weave their way into the fabric of Spanish football.
So in short, he knows what to look out for when judging talented young players.
“Thinking about the young players that I see in the league, I think there’s a lot of potential,” said the Spaniard when asked for his opinion on some of the young talent currently playing in Australia.
“Almost each team has good young players that, under my point of view, with good development and with chances to play and with growing as persons and as players, they can actually become very good players and try probably a different league.
“I think there can be potentially good years coming up for Australian players moving abroad and proving themselves there (Europe). I like a lot of players here, in Wanderers but also in other clubs.”
Of those players to have caught the eye of the Spanish legend is 23-year-old teammate Nicolas Milanovic.
“He knows that going to Europe, you know, it’s a good fight. There’s a lot of good players in there. So if you want to succeed at the higher level, you really need to be consistent, not only in your performances, but mainly in your mindset.
“So he knows that, and I think he’s looking forward to having a good season and in his mind, probably he’s thinking about proving himself overseas. And I encourage him.
“I will encourage him to do it, because I think he has a lot of positives on the pitch with his speed, his power, his left foot. I think the good thing is I think he understands he still can improve. He hasn’t reached his peak level, which I think he could if, for example, he goes to Europe and then he really proves himself there, week in, week out.”
When it comes to matters on the pitch, Mata has seen his game time limited this season.
However, despite starting just five of the Wanderers’ 13 Isuzu UTE A-League matches so far, the UEFA Champions League winner is enjoying his time here in Australia, even if he feels he can contribute more.
“I feel good,” said the Spaniard as we sat down in the shade on what was another hot Summer’s afternoon in Western Sydney.
“Of course, as I told you before, I think we are not happy with how we are in the table, with the performance that we have (had )in some of them (games). I think we all agree that we need more consistency in our results and in our performances.
“On a personal level, you know, now I’m contributing more. My goal when I came here, my mindset, was to give my best on the pitch, off the pitch, to try to keep winning trophies.
“I was lucky enough to win in Japan, to win in Turkey, so I want to win something here.
“Of course, the more I contribute on the pitch, the happier I am like any other player. So it’s been frustrating when you don’t play, like any other teammate will tell you, but you know over my career, I learned that in the not so good moments of your career, you have to focus on controlling what you can do, not what other people can do.
“So it’s nice to get one goal here, one assist there, and start to get numbers like that. But my real focus, more so than stats, is to enjoy the game.
“I think I perform at my best when I’m enjoying (it) when I feel that I can contribute and you feel important, and I’ve felt that from time to time so far on the pitch, but certainly I would love to do it more and more from here until the end.”
