Juan Mata has won the J-League title, 16 months after his Manchester United exit.
The 35-year-old midfielder joined the Red Devils in January 2014 and went on to play 285 games, scoring 51 goals and winning four trophies during his tenure at Old Trafford.
Mata left United officially in July 2022, when his contract wasn’t renewed under the new Erik ten Hag era.
He initially went to Galatasaray – but joined J-League side Vissel Kobe just under a year later. He had reason to celebrate this weekend.
Juan Mata wins J-League
The 35-year-old Spaniard celebrated winning the J-League with his side on Saturday – despite being an unused substitute.
Vissel Kobe beat Nagoya Grampus 2-1 to seal the title with a game to spare, with goals from Haruya Ide and former Newcastle striker Yoshinori Muto sealing the win.
“I’ve never experienced this kind of happiness before,” said captain Hotaru Yamaguchi.
“The emotion started to come out about five minutes before the final whistle. I’m just so happy.”
Vissel Kobe’s win meant they gained a four-point lead over second-placed Yokohama F Marinos. It meant yet another trophy for Juan Mata to add to his extensive collection acquired during his time in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea.
Juan Mata certainly didn’t contribute much…
Unlike his other accolades, Mata won’t feel like he contributed much to the title win whatsoever.
Since his arrival, Mata has featured just once for his new side, in what was an 80th-minute substitute appearance back in September.
This has proven to be his only bit of game time all season – meaning he’s won the league with just 10 minutes of football to his name. A very strange one, as he has been fully fit during this time.
Evidently, it was a wise move from the coach. His side are champions of Japan.
There is one final game to play, so maybe they’ll give the Spaniard a run-out in what is really a nothing game to see the legendary figure off.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
