Chelsea’s forgotten magician: Juan Mata was SO good

Before Eden Hazard arrived at Stamford Bridge and went on to define a generation for Chelsea FC fans - there was the left footed wizard, Juan Mata.

In the two full seasons Mata played at Chelsea, he won the Europa league and Champions League whilst also being arguably the Blues’ best player in both of these campaigns. That iconic Drogba header against Bayern in the final - that would never have been possible if it wasn’t for Mata’s corner learning perfectly on his head.

Across the 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns Mata amassed 71 goals and assists in 118 games. 

In his first 2 seasons in England. 

At 22 years old. In 2 bang average Chelsea teams. 

But even the stats didn’t do him justice. If you just watched him play for those years you would know what a magician he truly was. Everything that a number 10 should be, Mata created something out of nothing most times he got the ball. His first touch was among some of the best I’ve ever seen, the way he could see and then execute a pass to perfection was not normal. He also had this great ability to hit a ball from the edge of the box really low and really hard, almost always beating the keeper to nestle in the bottom corner. 

The Spaniard formed that infamous trio with Eden Hazard and Oscar in one glorious season in which Chelsea fans thought they were set in attack for the next 10 years. In a team containing Frank Lampard and Hazard, it was often Mata that everyone looked to for a bit of inspiration. And he never shied away from this burden, with so many clutch moments in a Chelsea shirt on big occasions, I feel like it will only be Chelsea fans that could tell you just how good Juan Mata was.

Then Mourinho came in and ruined it (the discourse will be dropped on his second spell at Chelsea soon). Mata apparently didn’t run enough and so he was shunned out of the Portuguese manager’s preferred starting XI and made to sit on the bench. At Manchester United, there was of course still glimpses of his world-class ability but it was few and far between. A combination of defensive managers and poorly built squads meant that Mata was never able to reach the heights in Manchester that he so often did in SW6.

That Chelsea team was tailor made for him to excel in but as the old saying goes… Good things don’t last forever. It may be easy to be bitter about the way it ended with Mata going to United, but Chelsea fans should feel privileged that a player of that quality was able to shine for them for those two seasons, delivering two unforgettable trophies in the process.

Spain during the 2010s had arguably the most talented array of midfield talent we’ve ever seen in international football and yet a 20 year old Mata was able to cement himself in their squad in 2010 world cup and then play a role in their Euros triumph 2 years later. 

This should show people the level he was at and I think he was on his way to making himself a Premier League icon but I guess Chelsea fans would have to settle for a certain Belgian winger instead.

I think you could argue that Chelsea were lucky that Hazard began to turn into one of the league’s best players just as Mata was being fazed out because if he wasn’t there to pick up the Spaniard’s mantel - there would’ve been a huge hole in that squad which may have proved extremely difficult to fill.

Mata’s talent was immense but it’s often forgotten amongst Premier League fans because it didn’t last as long as it should have. But some of us will remember his legacy and will forever inform people ‘you have no idea how good prime Mata was,’ whenever given the opportunity.