Juan Mata will make his debut this Saturday with his new team, Melbourne Victory (10:35 AM Spanish peninsular time), in what will be his second campaign in Australia’s A-League. The Asturian midfielder faces his twentieth professional season with the same enthusiasm as ever. “I can’t wait to be at the stadium, to meet the fans… and to get the competition underway,” says Juan. He will once again wear the number 64 shirt, as he did last season with Western Sydney Wanderers.
He will once again wear the number 64 shirt, as he did last season with Western Sydney Wanderers. This year marks twenty consecutive seasons as a professional for Mata. It all began in 2006–07, when he made his debut in elite football with Real Madrid Castilla in Spain’s Second Division.
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The season opener will be against Auckland FC at AAMI Park in Melbourne. The club, which recently surpassed 20,000 members, has organized a series of activities to celebrate the first match of the campaign. Back in that 2006–07 season, Juan played 38 games and scored 9 goals before moving to Valencia CF — a key decision in his career. Since then, he has played for Chelsea, Manchester United, Galatasaray, and Vissel Kobe, before arriving in Australia a year ago. Now, with over 700 official matches to his name, Juan continues to approach the game with the same passion and joy that have defined his career.
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