Champions League winning former Premier League star looks unrecognisable in throwback snap
- The ex-Premier League star celebrated their 36th birthday with a childhood photo
- He played for two clubs in the top flight and became a fan favorite at both teams
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A former Premier League star has celebrated his 36th birthday by sharing a throwback photo with fans on social media.
The attacking midfielder became a favorite at two clubs during an 11-year spell in the Premier League.
In the childhood photo, the star looks unrecognizable in their playing splendor, while the future Champions League winner writes “Always together” while the photo shows him holding a football.
His senior career started at Valencia after coming through the youth system at Real Oviedo and Real Madrid.
The midfielder was part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad in 2010, before moving to the Premier League for a fee of £23.5 million to Chelsea the following year.
The former Premier League star celebrated their 36th anniversary by sharing a throwback photo
He was a fan favorite for two Premier League sides and won the Champions League with Chelsea
The Spaniard was a key part of the Blues side that earned Champions League glory for the first time in 2012, despite being the only Chelsea player to miss a penalty in the final shoot-out against Bayern Munich.
In both 2012 and 2013 he was named Chelsea’s Player of the Year and in the latter he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
He would also win the FA Cup and Europa League with the Blues, before moving to Manchester United for £37 million in January 2014.
In eight years at Man United, the midfielder won the Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
The fan favorite left at the end of his contract in 2022, having made 285 appearances and scored 51 goals for the Red Devils.
The star is of course Juan Mata, winner of the World Cup and the European Championship with Spain.
Mata’s former teammates were among those who sent messages to the star on his 36th birthday on Sunday.
Ex-Chelsea captain John Terry described him as a ‘legend’, while former Man United and Spain teammates David De Gea and And Herrera also commented on the throwback photo.
Juan Mata spent four seasons at Chelsea and was twice named the club’s Player of the Year
The Spaniard moved to Man United in 2014 and played at Old Trafford for eight years
Mata recently promoted Man United’s upcoming pre-season tour of the United States
Mata is currently a free agent after a short spell at Japanese side Vissel Kobe, where he made one appearance for the Japanese champions before leaving the club in January.
The Spaniard had also spent a season at Galatasaray after leaving Man United, helping the club to the Turkish title in 2023.
Mata was seen again in a Man United shirt last week as the popular former star helped promote the club’s pre-season tour to the United States.
He claimed Man United needed to build the club’s culture around captain and ‘great leader’ Bruno Fernandes during a visit to San Diego.