A new agreement for Juan Mata

Juan Mata has committed to become part of the shareholders of the Melbourne Victorya club in which he played the 2025-2026 season and in which he will assume an institutional role from the moment he decides to retire from professional football. Sources close to the player confirmed to EFE the agreement advanced by Melbourne Victory in their official accounts, which explained that it is totally independent of his contract as a player and reflects a shared vision of the future for the club and the A-League, which will continue long after he hangs up his boots.

Once he decides to retire, Mata will chair a newly created football committee at the club, to contribute his experience and knowledge to the entity’s sporting decisions, becoming one of the few active international footballers in the world to acquire an ownership stake in the team he plays for.

With this, Melbourne Victory joins a sports investment portfolio that already includes the BWT Alpine Formula 1 team and San Diego FC of the MLS. “I firmly believe in the future of Australian football. From day one, I have felt the passion surrounding this club and the huge potential of the A-League. I want to be part of what is to come, and not just for one season, but for the long term,” Mata said.

The world champion with Spain in 2010 and European champion in 2012 said that he has “enjoyed a lot on the field this last year” and thanked the entire club family and all of Australian football for the way in which they “have welcomed him.”

“Committing to Victory as a shareholder is the natural step on my path,” added Mata, 38, who was chosen this year as the best player in the Australian league, in which he has played 25 games, in which he scored five goals and gave 13 assists after his first season, after playing for teams such as Valencia, Chelsea and Manchester United.

The president of Melbourne Victory, John Dovaston, in turn highlighted the fact that “a footballer of Juan Matad’s caliber decides to bet and be part of the ownership of Melbourne Victory is a historic moment for the club and for football in this country.” “Juan is an investor with excellent judgment, who already has stakes in elite sports franchises globally. His decision to back Victory is a sign of total confidence in the direction this club and the A-League are taking,” he added.

According to the Australian club, the deal is structured to give Mata a significant long-term minority stake, reflecting its complete confidence in the strategic direction of the project and integrating the player alongside the current ownership group.