- Mar 4, 2024
- Dec 9, 2022
Galatasaray announced the signing of former Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata on Thursday on a one-year deal, with the option to extend by another year. Mata, 34, moved to United from Chelsea in January 2014 and made 285 appearances, winning the FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League during an eight-year spell. A skillful playmaker, he managed 51 goals and 47 assists for United.
“I feel so good. I am excited and very motivated. I’m grateful for being here. Everyone is being very friendly. I can’t wait to win with Galatasaray,” Mata said in a statement.
“Everyone told me what a nice atmosphere this place has. I’m waiting for the moment when I will experience this. I can’t wait to fight in front of our fans. Galatasaray is the team with the greatest success in Turkey. It is also a club that has a place in the history of football. Thank you everyone for the warm welcome.”
The Turkish side also announced that they have taken Argentina striker Mauro Icardi from Paris Saint-Germain on loan for the 2022-2023 season. Galatasaray also signed Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira last month on a four-year contract from Arsenal.
Juan Mata was signed up for 1.9 million Euros by the Turkish Club. The midfielder has played for Manchester United for more than 9 seasons. He was a Europa League winner, a champion’s league winner and also was in the Spanish squad when Spain won the World Cup in 2010.
The midfielder also won the FA Cup and the League Cup. Here is the tweet from Galatasaray:
Welcome to #Galatasaray, Juan Mata! 💛❤️ pic.twitter.com/zfqPrNBAgJ
— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) September 8, 2022
The Skillful play maker managed 51 goals and 47 assists for Manchester United but even during his long stint, he failed to consistently replicate his form there. However, when he moved to Chelsea, he became a vital cog of Chelsea’s attacking setup.