Juan Mata - Player of the Week
Juan Mata - Player of the Week
What's the Mata?
Juan Mata was the hero as Manchester United (4th) beat Liverpool (5th) 2-1 at Anfield. The gap between the two teams is now five points, with eight matches of the season left to play. Juan Mata was the hero for United and Steven Gerrard the villain for Liverpool. Mata, who played as what Louis van Gaal calls a 'false right-winger', scored the opening goal in the 14th minute. Ander Herrera's excellent pass found Mata in space, and he hit the ball across Simon Mignolet, the Liverpool goalkeeper, and into the far corner. Manchester Utd were playing some of their best football of the season and were unlucky to be only 1-0 in front at the interval.
"In the first half we played very, very well." Louis van Gaal - Manchester Utd manager.
What happened in the second half?
Liverpool made a change at the break, bringing on captain Gerrard for his last ever game against Manchester Utd, before he moves to the United States in the summer. But after only 38 seconds of the second half, Gerrard was given a red card for a foul on Herrera. It was one of the fastest red cards in Premier League history. With Liverpool down to 10 men, Man Utd took control and took a 2-0 lead after 59 minutes when Mata scored his second of the game and one of the goals of the season. Mata played a lovely one-two with Angel Di Maria and scored with an acrobatic 'scissor' kick, which flew past Mignolet in the Liverpool goal. Liverpool scored a consolation goal, through Daniel Sturridge, 10 minutes later, but it was United that finished stronger and even missed a penalty when Wayne Rooney's spot kick was well saved by Mignolet.
"I think it was my best game in a United shirt. It's probably the biggest game in English football, so to score two goals is great for me." Juan Mata.
What do we know about Juan Mata?
Juan Manuel Mata Garcia was born on 28 April 1988 and brought up in Oviedo, a small city in Asturias in the north of Spain. If you translate his name directly into English it is 'Johnny Kills' and this became his nickname when he arrived in England to play for Chelsea. Before moving to the UK, Mata played youth football for his local team, Real Oviedo, and also Real Madrid B (RM Castilla), where he played 39 times. In 2007, Mata moved to Valencia, which is where he made his name. Mata helped Valencia to a regular place in the Champions League, two third-place finishes in La Liga, and also scored one of the goals to help Valencia win the Spanish Cup in 2008. He also became a regular member of the Spanish National squad at this time. In the summer of 2011, Chelsea paid £23.5 million to take him to Stamford Bridge. In only two and a half seasons with the London club, Mata won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup. He was also voted Chelsea's Player of the Year for both 2012 and 2013. In January 2014, Mata moved to Manchester United in a deal worth £37.1 million.
“Chelsea is a top club and I have many friends there but you can't turn down the chance to join Manchester United.” Juan Mata in January 2014.
What has Juan Mata won with Spain?
Juan Mata, despite being only 26 years old, has already won most of the big prizes in football. In addition to the European competitions he won with Chelsea, Mata was also part of the Spanish squads that won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine. In the former, he was more of a squad member, he only played in one match, when he came on as a substitute in a group game against Honduras. But in the Europpean Championships, he played a much bigger role, and scored one of the goals in the final as Spain beat Italy 4-0. Mata also helped Spain win the under-21 European Championships in 2011 and was named the tournament's Golden Player. One trophy he hasn't won yet is the Premier League, which is something he hopes to do in the near future.
"It was one of the greatest days of my life, like a dream come true. I couldn't control my emotions." Juan Mata speaking about winning the World Cup in 2010.
Does Mata only like football?
Juan Mata has plenty of interests outside of football. Two of these interests are photography and writing. Mata regularly posts to his Instagram account, where he has 1.5 million followers, and amongst the photos of players are plenty of artistic shots of the Manchester skyline and British countryside. For the last two years, Mata has also been writing a weekly blog. It's called One Hour Behind and he writes about his experiences as a professional footballer at Chelsea and United, but also on other topics such as films, other sports and trips back home to Spain. If you want to read his latest blog post, which is about the Liverpool - Man Utd game, you can find it here.
"The second goal was one of the best goals of my career for sure, among other things because it happened in such a massive game. And it helped us win." An extract from Juan Mata's blog - One hour Behind.
What's the fastest red card in Premier League history?
Steven Gerrard was sent off only 38 seconds after coming onto the pitch as a second half substitute, but it's not the fastest ever red card in football and not the fastest red card in Premier League history. Here are three red cards that were even faster:
- Keith Gillespie - Reading v Sheffield United (Premier League - 2007) 12 seconds. The Sheffield United midfielder, who had previously played for Manchester Utd and Newcastle Utd, came on as a subsitute, there was a throw-in and he hit an opponent with an elbow and was given an immediate red card. He received the red card without the ball entering the pitch, so perhaps it could be counted as 0 seconds!
- Giuseppe Lorenzo - Bologna v Parma (Italian Serie A - 1990) 10 seconds. This is the record for the fastest ever red card in professional football. The Bologna midfielder was sent off just 10 seconds into the match for striking an opponent in the face.
- Lee Todd - Cross Park Farm Celtic v Taunton East Reach Wanderers (English amateur football) 2 seconds. At the start of the match the referee, who was standing directly behind Lee Todd, blew his whistle. Todd was frightened by the noise and swore at the referee. The referee immediately gave him a red card for foul and abusive language!
What did you understand?
What's the Mata?
Juan Mata was the hero as Manchester United (4th) beat Liverpool (5th) 2-1 at Anfield and the gap between the two teams is now five points, with eight matches of the season left to play. Juan Mata was the hero for United and Steven Gerrard the villain for Liverpool. Mata, who played as what Louis van Gaal calls a 'false right-winger', scored the opening goal in the 14th minute. Ander Herrera's excellent pass found Mata in space, and he hit the ball across Simon Mignolet, the Liverpool goalkeeper, and into the far corner. Manchester Utd were playing some of their best football of the season and were unlucky to be only 1-0 in front at the interval.
"In the first half we played very, very well." Louis van Gaal - Manchester Utd manager.
What happened in the second half?
Liverpool made a change at the break, bringing on captain Gerrard, for his last ever game against Manchester Utd before he moves to the United States in the summer. But after only 38 seconds of the second half, Gerrard was given a red card for a foul on Herrera. It's one of the fastest red cards in Premier League history. With Liverpool down to 10 men, Man Utd took control and took a 2-0 lead after 59 minutes, when Mata scored his second of the game and one of the goals of the season. Mata played a lovely one-two with Angel Di Maria and scored with an acrobatic 'scissor' kick, which flew past Mignolet in the Liverpool goal. Liverpool scored a consolation goal, through Daniel Sturridge, 10 minutes later, but it was United that finished stronger, and even missed a penalty when Wayne Rooney's spot kick was well saved by Mignolet.
"I think it was my best game in a United shirt. It's probably the biggest game in English football, so to score two goals is great for me." Juan Mata.
What do we know about Juan Mata?
Juan Manuel Mata Garcia was born on 28 April 1988 and brought up in Oviedo, a small city in Asturias in the north of Spain. If you translate his name directly into English it is 'Johnny Kills' and this became his nickname when he arrived in England to play for Chelsea. Before moving to the UK, Mata played youth football for his local team, Real Oviedo and also Real Madrid B (RM Castilla), where he played 39 times. In 2007, Mata moved to Valencia, which is where he made his name. Mata helped Valencia to a regular place in the Champions League, two third-place finishes in La Liga, and also scored one of the goals to help Valencia win the Spanish Cup in 2008. He also became a regular member of the Spanish National squad at this time. In the summer of 2011, Chelsea paid £23.5 million to take him to Stamford Bridge. In only two and a half seasons with the London club, Mata won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup. He was also voted Chelsea's Player of the Year for both 2012 and 2013. In January 2014, Mata moved to Manchester United in a deal worth £37.1 million.
“Chelsea is a top club and I have many friends there but you can't turn down the chance to join Manchester United.” Juan Mata in January 2014.
What has Juan Mata won with Spain?
Juan Mata, despite being only 26 years old, has already won most of the big prizes in football. In addition to the European competitions he won with Chelsea, Mata was also part of the Spanish squads that won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine. In the former, he was more of a squad member, he only played in one match, he came on as a substitute in a group game against Honduras. But in the Europpean Championships, he played a much bigger role, and scored one of the goals in the final as Spain beat Italy 4-0. Mata also helped Spain win the under-21 European Championships in 2011 and was named the tournament's Golden Player. One trophy he hasn't won yet is the Premier League, which is something he hopes to do in the near future.
"It was one of the greatest days of my life, like a dream come true. I couldn't control my emotions." Juan Mata speaking about winning the World Cup in 2010.
Does Mata only like football?
Juan Mata has plenty of interests outside of football. Two of these interests include photography and writing. Mata regularly posts to his instagram account, where he has 1.5 million followers, and amongst the photos of players are plenty of artistic shots of the Manchester skyline and British countryside. For the last two years, Mata has also been writing a weekly blog. It's called One Hour Behind and he writes about his experiences as a professional footballer at Chelsea and United, but also on other topics such as films, other sports and trips back home to Spain. If you want to read his latest blog post, which is about the Liverpool - Man Utd game, you can find it here.
"The second goal was one of the best goals of my career for sure, among other things because it happened in such a massive game. And it helped us win." An extract from Juan Mata's blog - One hour Behind.
What's the fastest red card in Premier League history?
Steven Gerrard was sent off only 38 seconds after coming onto the pitch as a second half substitute, but it's not the fastest ever red card in football and not the fastest red card in Premier League history. Here are three red cards that were even faster:
- Keith Gillespie - Reading v Sheffield United (Premier League - 2007) 12 seconds. The Sheffield United midfielder, who had previously played for Manchester Utd and Newcastle Utd, came on as a subsitute, there was a throw-in and he hit an opponent with an elbow and was given an immediate red card. He received the red card without the ball entering the pitch, so perhaps it could be counted as 0 seconds!
- Giuseppe Lorenzo - Bologna v Parma (Italian Serie A - 1990) 10 seconds. This is the record for the fastest ever red card in professional football. The Bologna midfielder was sent off just 10 seconds into the match for striking an opponent in the face.
- Lee Todd - Cross Park Farm Celtic v Taunton East Reach Wanderers (English amateur football) 2 seconds. At the start of the match the referee, who was standing directly behind Lee Todd, blew his whistle. Todd was frightened by the noise and swore at the referee. The referee immediately gave him a red card for foul and abusive language!
Did you know......?
- In 2012, Juan Mata along with Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) and Michu (Swansea City) bought shares in Real Oviedo to save it from extinction.
- Mata loves studying and is currently studying degrees in Marketing and Sports Science.
- Mata's dad was also a professional footballer. He played as a striker for Burgos in the 1980s and 1990s.
- Mata has a park in Oviedo, Spain named after him. It's called 'Juan Mata Park' and is next to Real Oviedo's stadium.
- He loves travelling, when he was younger he used to go backpacking around Spain in his free time.
Quiz
Please login to take this quiz.
What do you think?
Juan Mata scored an incredible goal against Liverpool - an acrobatic scissor kick.
What do you think is the most difficult type of goal to score?
What's the difference between a scissor kick and a bicycle kick?
Leave a comment
Log in to leave a comment
Comentários
18/11/2022
points
He was brought on in the second half as a midfielder but was fouled and got injured.Game extinct for him.
Joke
The player who swear on the pitch, also red pepper should be put on his tongue not to do this again as well as being sent off.
18/11/2022 18:14
Tottenham Hotspur
5560
He was brought on in the second half as a midfielder but was fouled and got injured.Game extinct for him.
Joke
The player who swear on the pitch, also red pepper should be put on his tongue not to do this again as well as being sent off.
16/06/2021
points
I think bycicle kick or long range shots.
In a scissor kick the player is sideways from goal. In bycicle kick the player is backwards.
16/06/2021 21:44
Arsenal
1512
I think bycicle kick or long range shots.
In a scissor kick the player is sideways from goal. In bycicle kick the player is backwards.
22/06/2020
points
( Bicycle kick ) is the action of the legs while the body is in mid-air resembling the pedalling of a bicycle.
This term is also called ( an overhead kick ) in which refers to the ball being kicked above the head
Whereas ( scissors kick ) is reflecting the movement of two scissor blades which are the legs coming together.
22/06/2020 13:33
Manchester United
6539
( Bicycle kick ) is the action of the legs while the body is in mid-air resembling the pedalling of a bicycle.
This term is also called ( an overhead kick ) in which refers to the ball being kicked above the head
Whereas ( scissors kick ) is reflecting the movement of two scissor blades which are the legs coming together.
22/06/2020
points
I think the most difficult type of goal to score is the Rabona kick.
22/06/2020 13:28
Manchester United
6539
I think the most difficult type of goal to score is the Rabona kick.
26/08/2019
points
it's ok
26/08/2019 11:56
Manchester City
1734
it's ok
26/08/2019
points
ok
26/08/2019 11:54
Manchester City
1734
ok
16/11/2017
points
Mata is good and I like him because he play for MU
16/11/2017 13:49
Manchester United
180
Mata is good and I like him because he play for MU
28/01/2017
points
Juan Mata is very outstanding and attractive player
28/01/2017 12:35
Manchester City
205
Juan Mata is very outstanding and attractive player
14/03/2016
points
goal which type of James Rodriguez
14/03/2016 14:26
Leicester City
1761
goal which type of James Rodriguez
18/01/2016
points
Scoring a bicycle kick is the most difficult.
18/01/2016 17:08
Liverpool
3705
Scoring a bicycle kick is the most difficult.
05/12/2015
points
Mata should have stayed in Valencia. He could get the best out of himself because he would have more space. I doubt he is a player for the PL even he's not so bad.
05/12/2015 13:00
Arsenal
3557
Mata should have stayed in Valencia. He could get the best out of himself because he would have more space. I doubt he is a player for the PL even he's not so bad.
21/11/2015
points
I think scoring scissor kick is more harder.
21/11/2015 17:11
Arsenal
2320
I think scoring scissor kick is more harder.
13/11/2015
points
A long-distance goal. Apart from good awareness on the pitch, power and precision you should be lucky to spot the moment to kick it
13/11/2015 14:23
Arsenal
2453
A long-distance goal. Apart from good awareness on the pitch, power and precision you should be lucky to spot the moment to kick it
03/11/2015
points
This one, a scissor kick is the most difficult.
03/11/2015 15:41
Arsenal
3557
This one, a scissor kick is the most difficult.
24/10/2015
points
Okay!!!!!1
24/10/2015 18:29
Chelsea
1339
Okay!!!!!1
28/09/2015
points
I'm really sad that he moved from Chelsea he was absolutely superb player
28/09/2015 12:16
Chelsea
1814
I'm really sad that he moved from Chelsea he was absolutely superb player