Real Madrid need to avoid sentimental Manchester United deal
Juan Mata isn’t good enough to play at Real Madrid
There’s something poetic about the idea of Real Madrid bringing Juan Mata back to Spain before the end of his career. Unfortunately for the Spanish midfielder, football matches aren’t played in verse and rhyme. The reality is Juan Mata isn’t good enough to make a real impact for Zinedine Zidane’s squad.
Reports in Spain (via the Mirror) have broached the idea of Los Blancos bringing Mata back to his boyhood club. As I said, the idea sounds nice in theory. Who doesn’t like the idea of a player being able to return home covered in glory?
The simple truth is that Mata would be fortunate to get on Real Madrid’s bench. He’s a decent enough player for United, but it’s very likely Jose Mourinho would be very willing to let him leave. United would like to get more production out of their attacking midfield. Mata has only managed one goal in 8 Premier League appearances and his Whoscored.com player rating average of just 6.66 further illustrates his mediocrity.
In case you haven’t noticed, Real Madrid aren’t exactly bereft of creative midfielders. Mata wouldn’t stand a chance of beating out the likes of Isco, Modric or Kroos for a spot in Zidane’s starting XI. That’s not a shot at Mata’s talent, it’s simply a statement of fact.
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Perhaps things would be different if Mata were a 21-year-old starlet just making his name in the Premier League. Instead, he’s a 29-year-old midfielder whose lack of athleticism is becoming more and more of an issue. He’s never been blessed with world-class foot speed which means losing a step due to age could make him virtually unplayable.
None of that makes Mata sound like a player likely to make a triumphant return to the Bernabeu. If he wants to leave Old Trafford, he should be looking for a much softer place to land. At this stage of his career, he needs to take his talents to a lesser club or league. Now is not the time for him to take on the challenge of elite La Liga action.
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The reports linking Mata with a return to Real Madrid are almost certainly fiction. If they aren’t, then Florentino Perez needs to get his head examined. There’s no chance Mata can move the needle for Los Blancos in a positive direction. Moving for him would be a waste of time and money for Real Madrid.