Joey LynchCloseJoey Lynch is a Melbourne-based sports journalist and AYA cancer advocate. Primarily working on football, he has covered the Socceroos, Matildas and A-Leagues for ESPN for over a decade.
Juan Mata is set to buy into Australian football after reaching an agreement to purchase a stake in his A-League club Melbourne Victory, but has yet to make a call on whether he'll continue his playing career.
Victory announced on Monday afternoon that the former FIFA World Cup winner had agreed to take on a stake in the club, as well as take up a role as chair of a newly established football committee that would advise the club's hierarchy upon his retirement as an active player.
At this stage, however, that playing future remains uncertain, with the club noting the agreement was "distinct from Mata's playing arrangements," and Mata saying, "I have not decided yet. What this announcement tells you is that whatever I decide about my playing career, my long-term relationship with this club doesn't change."
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Victory did not disclose the size of the stake the Spaniard had acquired in the club nor the commercial terms of the investment, but said that it was structured to provide him with a "significant, long-term minority stake."
"I've seen Australian football from the inside now, and I believe in the potential of the A-League," Mata said in a statement. "That's why I'm keen to be involved in what I believe will be the progression of the game in the country.
"Every investment has to mean something to me personally -- and with Victory, I've worn the shirt, and my appreciation for the club and its people is obvious. I've played in front of these fans and seen the community programs up close. It feels like a natural step for me."
Mata told ESPN last November that he was "open" to buying into the A-League and had explored the possibility, but that, at the time, his focus was on playing for Victory and that any future investment would be predicated on a plan and vision to underpin it.
"I came here to enjoy my football, to play, and to contribute on the pitch as much as I could," said Mata.
"Over the season, the conversations with the club's leadership grew more ambitious -- we see the future of football in this country the same way, and the possibility to create a long-lasting relationship with the club seemed like a natural step."
Alongside a slice of Formula One outfit Alpine, Victory will become the second club that Mata has taken an ownership stake in, having previously joined the ownership of MLS expansion franchise San Diego FC while playing for Australian outfit the Western Sydney Wanderers in 2024.
After an unspectacular stint at Wanderland, where he started just seven times by then-coach Alen Stajcic and provided just four goal involvements, Mata moved to Victory ahead of the 2025-26 season and experienced a late-career renaissance.
Logging the most minutes he had in a domestic campaign since his 2017-18 season with Manchester United, Mata grabbed 13 and five assists across 21 starts at AAMI Park, winning multiple games for Victory off his own boot. His standout campaign was recognised with a Johnny Warren Medal as the league's best player, as well as a starting place in the player-voted PFA Team of the Season.
Victory officials made it clear throughout the campaign that they would welcome Mata back for another season in 2026-27 and do whatever they could to keep him, but that, ultimately, the decision rested with him. It's believed that the chance to enjoy regular football and the lifestyle of living in Melbourne will be the biggest factors in this decision, with the A-League's broader financial struggles meaning Victory cannot offer the same kind of wage packet that Mata would command on the open market.
Perhaps also playing into his decision will be the departure of coach Arthur Diles, whom Mata praised, "You made me enjoy football again," in his acceptance speech after winning last season's Victory Medal. After opting not to re-sign Diles, Victory appointed former Portland Timbers boss Giovanni Savarese earlier this month.
"When players in Europe ask me about Australia, I tell them what I've experienced: the football is competitive, the lifestyle is incredible, and the league is only going to grow and improve," Mata said in his announcement. "If this announcement makes a few more of them curious -- even better."
Mata is set to become the second high-profile figure to buy into Victory in the last year, with Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom purchasing 19.1% of Australian heavyweights in 2025, shortly after the club shed the last of its ties to collapsed investment firm and one-time potential Everton owners 777 Partners.
Bloom's arrival saw the club's men and senior academy programs partner with his firm Jamestown Analytics, which also provides data services to Brighton, Hearts, Union St.-Gilloise and Serie A side Como.
"I have great respect for what Tony has built, and I look forward to learning more about the way he works," said Mata.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49212635/juan-mata-buys-stake-aleagues-melbourne-victory