Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has showered accolades on “magic” Juan Mata following his first goal in the A-League. Mata, 36, joined Western Sydney Wanderers in September after departing from Vissel Kobe. He made his debut for the team against Sydney FC in October and has played in all 11 league matches so far in the 2024/25 season. Mata had not scored in his first ten games, but he found the net in a 5-3 defeat against Macarthur, marking his first goal for the club. After Jed Drew opened the scoring for Macarthur, Mata brought the Westies level. It was a great shot from the Spanish wizard, who was located at the edge of the box and skillfully directed the ball into the bottom corner. The former United midfielder appeared very happy after scoring for the first time since January 2023. In response to a video of the goal shared on the A-League’s Instagram, Fernandes wrote a message to his previous teammate in his story. The Portuguese player, with nine million followers, remarked: “The year may change, but magic remains @juanmatagarcia,” accompanied by a heart-eyed emoji. David de Gea added, “The left foot,” along with a fire emoji. Mata transferred to United for £37.1 million from Chelsea in January 2014 and quickly became a favorite among fans at Old Trafford. He netted six goals and provided four assists in his first 15 games for United, and began the next season strongly, especially by scoring two goals against fierce rivals Liverpool. Bruno Fernandes shared this on Instagram (Image: Instagram / brunofernandes8). The former Valencia player was a reliable performer at the beginning of his time with United, scoring double-digit goals in each of his first three complete seasons at Old Trafford.
