‘Magic’ – Bruno Fernandes and ex-Manchester United teammate hail Juan Mata after first A-League goal

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Juan Mata is back amongst the goals following his transfer to Western Sydney Wanderers from Vissel Kobe.

The former Manchester United midfielder, 36, joined the A-League outfit in September before making his debut against Sydney FC in October.

Juan Mata has since featured in each of their first 11 matches of the season but failed to score in any of his first 10 appearances.

The former Spain international finally got off the mark as the Westies fell to a 3-2 defeat to Macarthur.

Mata’s strike came as an equaliser for Western Sydney Wanderers as he placed the ball into the bottom corner. It was his first goal since January 2023 to show that class is permanent.

Bruno Fernandes and David de Gea send message to Juan Mata

Mata’s former Manchester United teammates have been reacting to his maiden goal in a Western Sydney Wanderers shirt.

It shows how players keep up to date with their former teammates through social media because Bruno Fernandes reacted to a video of the goal from A-League’s Instagram account.

Mata recieved the ball at the end of the box before placing his effort around the Macarthur goalkeeper with a degree of composure.

Fernandes posted a message to Mata on his story, writing: “The year changes but magic never disappears @juanmatagarcia,” along with a love heart eyes emoji.

In a similar post, former United goalkeeper David de Gea wrote: “The left foot,” with a fire emoji.

Mata on a quest to continue hunt for trophies

The World Cup winner has won a trophy everywhere he’s been – from the Copa del Rey with Valencia to Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2012.

An eight-year spell at Old Trafford resulted in three trophies for Mata, including the Europa League and FA Cup.

After leaving United in 2022, Mata has gone on to win league titles in Turkey as well as Japan. He is currently on a quest to continue that feat in Australia with Western Sydney  Wanderers.

The Westies are currently positioned seventh in A-League, nine points adrift of league leaders Auckland FC. It would be a massive task for Mata to achieve that feat this season, but he remains on the hunt for silverware regardless.