Veteran Spanish footballer Juan Mata, South Africa’s 2010 World Cup champion, has joined the ownership group of San Diego FC, the new franchise in the North American League (MLS).
Mata, who at 36 continues his career in the Australian league, will be the first active player to have an investment in an MLS team, San Diego FC said in a statement released this Wednesday (20).
Englishman David Beckham, minority owner of Inter Miami, was until now the only former player involved as an investor in an MLS franchise.
San Diego FC will become the 30th team in the North American league next season and among its first signings stands out Mexican Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano.
“Joining San Diego FC as an investing partner is an exciting opportunity to help build something truly special in a city and a league that is experiencing incredible growth,” said Mata.
In addition to his football career, in which he played for Manchester United and Chelsea, Mata has also led charitable initiatives such as “Common Goal”, which encourages footballers around the world to donate a set amount of their salary to social causes.
“Common Goal” is also a partner of “Right to Dream”, a community of football academies and teams on several continents chaired by the owner of San Diego FC, Egyptian-British billionaire Mohamed Mansour.
“This club and Right to Dream’s commitment to making a community impact; excellence and a vision of long-term success align perfectly with my own values,” said Mata, who in recent years has made visits to academies in Egypt and Denmark.
The Spaniard, who joined the Australian league’s Western Sydney Wanderers last September, began his professional career at Valencia and then played in the English league for Chelsea, with which he won the 2012 Champions League, and for Manchester United.
With the Spanish national team, he lifted the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship trophies.
