Juan Mata shows true colours as Man United legend makes debut for new club

Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata impressed as he made his debut for Australian outfit Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday.

The 36-year-old joined the A-League side in September after his contract with J1 League outfit Vissel Kobe expired at the start of the year.

However, the World Cup winner - who made over 250 appearances for the Reds after signing from Chelsea in January 2014 - had to wait until the early hours of Saturday to make his first appearance for Alen Stajcic's side.

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The Spaniard was initially named as a substitute for Stajcic's side but was called into action with 28 minutes remaining shortly after his side equalised in the Sydney derby. Prior to his introduction, Mata was pictured jubilantly celebrating Brandon Borrello's equaliser.

The playmaker was seen getting fully behind his teammates before coming on for his first appearance for his new club as the former Manchester United star showed his true colours, clearly demonstrating he still has plenty of passion for the game despite being in the twilight of his career.

Mata showed he still has plenty of quality, too, as he completed 85% of his passes, created two chances and made four passes into the final third after being summoned from the bench. Unfortunately that wasn't enough to stop his side from suffering defeat on the opening weekend of the season as Patryk Klimala's second-half strike secured a 2-1 victory for Sydney FC.

Since leaving Old Trafford in 2022, Mata has played for three clubs - Galatasaray, Vissel Kobe and Western Sydney Wanderers - in three different continents.

Discussing his decision to move to