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`Juan’ for the Blues

Comment: 0 August 28th, 2011 by: admin
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HE could have made his mark with Real Madrid but fate would send him to another Spanish team to excel and later to an English side where pastures look greener.

Welcome to Chelsea, Juan Mata!

The 23-year-old winger/attacking midfielder is finally with the Blues, leaving behind Valencia where he flourished as a player and another La Liga side who spurned him – Real Madrid.

How Mata found his way to London was a story worth telling.

During his junior days, he was among the talented players in Madrid’s youth system. He was 19 then and already showing signs that he is ready to hit the big time.

FATHER’S PLEA
His father, Juan Senior, who once donned the colours of Spanish second-division side Burgos, told Madrid bosses that they should offer his son a senior contract. Juan Jr. was then catching the attention of other teams.

Mata had just scored 10 goals to finish that season while playing for a struggling Madrid-B side in the second division. He came in fresh from being voted Player of the Tournament in Spain’s Under 19 European Championship victory.

But his father’s pleas turned to deaf ears and he was ignored.

Despite shining in Real-C team’s success in the league and Youth Champions League, then Madrid boss Fabio Capello opposed his being propped up to the first squad.

That was because Madrid’s policy at that time was to accommodate expensive players from abroad ahead of home-grown talents. Sort of the team does not believe in the capacity of their aspiring footballers.

So instead of Mata, they took in Holland Under 21 midfielder Royston Drenthe but they were disappointed with his performance. Drenthe is now on a `floating status’ in the league as no club appears to hire him.

VALENCIA TO THE RESCUE
As Juan Senior was totally shunned, Valencia came to the rescue. They heed their demands in 2007 and soon the teener from Oviedo joined Los Che after a season with Real Madrid’s Team B. He was ready to prove Madrid was totally wrong.

Under coach Ronald Koeman, Mata was named right away to the first squad and swiftly made an impact. He turned in an impeccable performance in the team’s winning the Spanish Cup that term, netting a goal once in the quarterfinals, hitting twice in the semifinals against Barcelona and connecting with a header in the final against Getafe. That same year, he debuted in the Champions League against Chelsea.

Last season, he tallied 8 goals to help Valencia finish 3rd in the La Liga. All told, he scored 45 goals in 172 appearances for the Spanish outfit.

Mata’s eye-catching form earned him a regular spot in the Spanish national team where he was part of the 2010 World Cup-winning side and has 11 caps to date. Aside from that, he also captained Spain’s triumphant Under-21 European Championship team last summer.

After four years with Valencia, Mata set his sights on relocating to England and play for Chelsea. He had also planned to go to Barcelona and Manchester United. Arsenal was his other option when the Gunners showed interest.

Barcelona eventually ended up tapping the services of Alexis Sanchez, while United got Ashley Young. And the Gunners did not push for their bid, paving the way for the Chelsea move.
What happened in those topsy-turvy summer ride for Mata could be a blessing in disguise.

He is now with a championship-calibre unit in the Premier League and this is where he should probably transform as a true-blue world-class football player.

EXCITEMENT AHEAD
Excitement is what Mata brought to the Blues’ cause, and one having that great feeling now is his compatriot Fernando Torres. Manager Andre Villas-Boas, too, is thrilled to have Mata under his wings. And even Mata himself.

The former Liverpool star has been in contact with Mata in the final two weeks of the negotiations, happy to realise what he had been telling friends near the end of last season that he might not be the lone Spain standout in London after the summer. In fact, Mata revealed Torres got him excited about playing for a bigger club that is Chelsea.

Could it be Mata that would finally motivate Torres to churn out his best for the Blues this season? Chelsea is still waiting for Torres to explode and Mata’s entry might be the spark for the resurgence of “El Nino.’’

Villas-Boas is excited over the fact that Mata’s arrival would give them more spunk in midfield, an area where the Portuguese boss said his current side lacks creativity.

Chelsea’s midfield power is apparently diminishing as playmakers like Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda and Yossi Benayoun to name some are already being slowed down by age.

No offense meant for Lampard and company but Villas-Boas could see Mata partnering more effectively with his younger players like Josh McEachran and Romelu Lukaku for the Blues’ future endeavour. If Luka Modric is also tapped from Tottenham Hotspur, he too could complement well with the Spaniard.

For Villas-Boas, Mata is the playmaker he badly wants to provide Torres the ammunition as well as various tactical options for him to devise from the bench. Villas-Boas has already explained to Mata how he would like to run his playing style and the latter found no problem with that.

Mata’s recent medical examination in London heightened his enthusiasm to suit up for the Blues and this aura somewhat eased the sadness he felt when he returned to Valencia to bid farewell to his teammates and friends.

His exit made him the fourth World Cup winner who played for Valencia to be sold following David Villa (Barcelona), David Silva (Manchester City) and Raul Albiol (Real Madrid).

Valencia, one of Spain’s most heavily-indebted clubs, have earned around 145 million euros (US$209) in transfers since 2009.

TIME TO ADAPT
Doubters say Mata would have a difficult time adapting to the playing style in the Premier League. But it looks more like that won’t be the case. With his talent and bolstered confidence, Mata can withstand the rigours in England. He grew up watching English football and calls Dennis Bergkamp and Ryan Giggs his heroes. He will acclimatise with ease and Chelsea would stand to benefit.

With his 30- million pound (US43 million) transfer fee, he must prove he can play according to his tag, and Chelsea will be more than willing to let him give his best shot.

Mata and his father have already moved on since Real Madrid rejected them. The son is now happily settled with the team of his dreams and ready to have the last laugh. He should thank Valencia for trusting him, and Chelsea for giving him a chance to show that he can do better. Or was Madrid right all along in overlooking him?

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