Spanish soccer player Juan Mata said this Sunday that he feels "proud" to follow in the footsteps of Andrés Iniesta and David Villa at Vissel Kobe in the Japanese league, during his presentation with his new team.
Mata alluded to two players "whom he greatly admires" and who are "good friends" of his, with whom he shared a dressing room in the Spanish team and who have previously played for Kobe's club, for which the midfielder has just signed. until the end of this season after leaving the Turkish Galatasaray.
Mata also mentioned his "great friends" Bojan Krkić and Sergi Samper, who have been part of Vissel Kobe in recent years, and who "have spoken highly of the club and the country" during his presentation to the media after signing for the Kobe club.
"I've always been a great admirer of Japan and its culture, so it's a great honor to be here," said Mata, who set himself the goal of "winning the league tournament," which would be "a new title in his race and hopefully the first of many in Japan".
Mata, 35 years old and who has previously played for teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea FC and Valencia CF, has "very good first impressions" of Japan and his new club, to which he arrives "with great humility", according to said.
"I think that in the Japanese league there are very strong and fast players, who play a very intense and physically tough game. I also think there are spaces to look for good passes and assist the forwards, and I hope I can do my best to help to get points for the team", he pointed out when asked about his opinion of the Japanese competition.
The midfielder joins Vissel Kobe until the end of this season, which will conclude next December. The Kobe club is currently in second position in the championship after 25 games played.
