Juan Mata Interview
Who is your best friend in the Chelsea team? Sent in by Patrick Owens
Oriol and Fernando are my best friends here but I am friends with so many people here already – young people like Ryan Bertrand, Josh McEachran, Danny Sturridge and then there is JT, Raul Meireles and David Luiz, who I have good friendships with. So, I think we have a good dressing room.
How does life in London compare to life in Valencia? Sent in by Kieran Nash
It’s a different kind of life even if, basically, I do the same things, which is train, rest, enjoy the city, sometimes study, watch TV or have a coffee. These things are the same, but I think it is different to live in Valencia than in London because Valencia has a beach and sun but London is bigger. This is one of the best cities in the world, though, and at the moment I am loving it here.
Do you still get nervous before games? Sent in by Nat Hayward
Yes, every game. Before, in the dressing room, I have nerves in my stomach, but I think it’s a good thing. If, one day, I don’t have this feeling, I think it will be bad. The nerves go away when the referee blows the first whistle.
What meals do you eat before match day and why? Sent in by Mike McGowan
The night before a match, I eat a full meal, a steak or something. But on the day, I have pasta and chicken because the meat is lighter.
In your opinion, what was the best goal you have ever scored? Sent in by Catherine Walker
When I was playing for Spain Under-19s in the European Championships. I scored three goals against Turkey in the first game of the tournament and one of them was the most beautiful in my life. It was a chip over the goalkeeper. I received the ball, went left between two central defenders to put me in front of the goalkeeper and then I chipped it over him into the goal.
If there was a movie about your life which actor would play the role of you and why? Sent in by Cecille Petersen
I don’t know – Brad Pitt! That’s a joke by the way, make sure you put that it’s a joke!
Have you ever been star struck when meeting a fellow footballer? Sent in by Max Brahm
Yes, when I met Rivaldo because I am from Oviedo and 10 years ago, when Real Oviedo was in the First Division, they played against Barcelona. I went to the stadium and I saw Rivaldo, Ronaldo and the rest of that team – it was the most amazing team and when I met him, it was special. The same with Zinedine Zidane as well, who I trained with when I was a young player at Real Madrid.
What do you want for Christmas this year? Sent in by Joe Murphy
I want to win the Christmas games and I hope my family and friends will come to see me so I can enjoy it with them.
Is it true that Yossi Benayoun offered you his (then) No. 10 shirt as it is your lucky number and what did you say to him? Sent in by Thomas Karam
I talked with Yossi and he said to me that the number 10 was not important for him. So he said it was no problem for him to give it to me. I like this number because in my last two years with Valencia, I wore the No.10 shirt and I think it’s a beautiful number in football – so many great players have worn it in the past. I am grateful to Yossi for giving me his number when I arrived.
Do you have any tips to young players that dream of becoming a professional? Sent in by Benjamin Hugh
I think, when you are young, you have to enjoy every training session and every game. You also have to make friends through the game – most of my friends are from football. So I would say to young players that it is most important to enjoy yourself and improve. Once you grow up, you have to get more competitive but in the first years, just enjoy playing and make friends.
You are a bit shorter than many footballers, what is the best training for shorter players to be the best, like you are? Sent in by Simeon Beasley
Shorter players, like Lionel Messi, David Silva, or me, have to have more mobility to look for free space. Here in England, a lot of defenders are tall and strong, so if you are still it is easy for them. So you have to train in movement and always look for space.
