If you face the goalkeeper, you have to wait for him to go and then put the ball in the other side. It's easy to say it but not so easy to do it when you are in the 88th minute of a game. So you must practise.
— Juan Mata
I consider myself as this kind of attacking midfielder, trying to find the gaps between the opposition midfielders and defenders and produce what the team needs between the lines.
When you are in a club like Manchester United, you have a lot of pressure around you.
Who is shorter, me or David Silva? I don't know. Probably him.
I admire Arsenal and the philosophy that the young players have. Liverpool, with their Spanish players, they also have an incredible squad. And Manchester United and Chelsea are teams that are very big, like Real Madrid and Barcelona, with money and incredible players.
For a kid that just played for Oviedo, to then going to play for a team like Real Madrid, it felt fantastic. But being taken out of my family home and moving away alone, into the residence Madrid have for young players, it was a bit difficult. But as time passed, I got used to it.
I never lose faith. I believe in myself. I know what I can do.
I don't like to think about others losing or not performing well. No, no - I'm not that kind of person.
I'm a professional. I have to do my best.
I like creative players and players who do different things.
I am not so old, but when I started out, we had none of this. We did not have the need to show the things we do and the good life we lead. That is dangerous. Social networks can be very positive because it's a great vehicle to communicate, but perhaps things need to be done in a different way.
As a child, we would all go to a tiny village near Burgos, and we'd have typical Spanish parties in the summer. There would be a band and grandparents dancing all night dressed up as American Indians and things like that.
I'm trying to know every part of London, to improve my English and enjoy the football. On my days off, I go to different parts of the city.
Maybe the yoga I do helps me to play as much as I do. It certainly gets you in the right frame of mind, stretches and relaxes you.
There are so many clubs with great squads, good managers, good financial situations that allows them to sign good players.
One of the best things if you are a football player is to see the faces of the kids, when they see you and are dreaming of being like you one day. That's a big responsibility, to be a good image for those kids. A football player is more than just a football player.
I just want to be playing! I love to play. But I think I can play in the three positions behind the striker.
Obviously, when you've made a great assist... is a great feeling, but obviously, the best feeling is to score yourself.
I cannot control what people think. But I can control myself and my aim, and my head is focused on trying to win trophies.
Chelsea is a top club, and I have many friends there, but you cannot turn down the chance to join Manchester United.
That's what I work for every day: training and playing to the maximum, trying to do the best I can.
In Spain, they show many Premier League games on TV, and it is an inspirational league. Maybe I would like to play in the Premier League.
A win doesn't last too long, and it happens the same way with a defeat. You have the chance to make it up soon afterwards.
Obviously, Spain is my home, and I have everything here - family, friends - but I'm very happy in England, with the way of life we have and with English football.
I'm a person who doesn't think bad about other people or feel happy when other people don't get results.
Van Gaal is how you see him in the press conferences; he's like that with us, too. He's honest and straightforward. He believes in his style of training and way of preparing for games.
If a luxury player is a player who scores and assists and has good stats, then I'm happy to be a luxury player.
Football is losing its essence: people talk about celebrations instead of goals.
For me, it would be the perfect summer to play in the Euros and then the Olympics. My desire is to play in both.
You can stick with one manager and have no wins, no trophies, or you can have so many different managers and win a lot. It comes down to the players, to the desire, and the way the club likes to behave.
Everything I do is about improvement.
I don't dab, bro.
If you want to give 100 per cent, you have to feel that you are important for the manager.
I would like to win the Premier League.
The most important and the better feeling in football, for me, is scoring a goal.
I feel privileged to play for Manchester United. It is something, when I'm old, I will always be proud of.
I am thrilled to be joining United. I have enjoyed some very happy years at Chelsea, but the time has come for a new challenge.
Obviously, replacing Sir Alex Ferguson was never going to be easy - not for him or for anyone. Although I was with him for only a few months, I'll always be grateful, as he played a key role in my move to United. He was the one who called me, who welcomed me, and the one who gave me the confidence to come here.
I had the luck of being in Madrid. They sign some of the best players in the world, and that really leaves fewer opportunities for young players.
As I always say, one of the best things of football is that the game is testing you all the time.
I always said I was very grateful for Chelsea. I spent an amazing time of my career there, we won a lot of trophies, and I think I became a better player. I have great friends in the club, and I always wish the best for them.
It will be nice to play against Australia. It's a great country, and football is getting bigger and bigger.
I've scored as many goals for Manchester United in the Premier League as for Chelsea, but in something like 30 games less.
A coach depends on whether I take a corner well or finish a chance in front of goal, and really, what influence does he have over this when it happens?
I see children now, and many things surprise me: they ask me about my boots and why I don't dye my hair. I wonder, 'Why don't you talk to me about how to cross the ball, control it, the position of the body when I strike the ball?'
If you want to be anonymous, you can go to Soho or Camden, and it's not a problem. There are a lot of Spanish people. If you go to Piccadilly or Oxford Circus, you hear lots of Spanish voices, but I'm not recognised much.
But I just try to do my best. I don't know if my game can influence the game of the team and how we play, but I just try to help with my football, for my team-mates and the club.
I train a lot. After training sessions, I like to stay with some balls and some goalkeepers - they help me a lot, too.
I'm the way my father taught me to be.
Confidence comes from results. If you are winning, you have that confidence; if you are losing, you don't have it.
