The worst moment in my career': Juan Mata opens up about his time at Chelsea

Former Blues Juan Mata considers his spell under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea as the worst moment of his career.

The Spanish playmaker was considered a hero by Chelsea fans during the two-and-a-half years he was at Stamford Bridge.

He was part of Chelsea’s Champions League-winning squad in 2012. It was his corner kick which led to Didier Drogba’s unforgettable headed goal.

The 31-year-old was also named Chelsea’s player of the year for two consecutive seasons. But in January 2014, his move to Manchester United shocked the fanbase.

In a Q&A session with Manchester United’s MUTV, Mata was asked about the best and worst moment of his career.

“The best one has to be the World Cup that we won in 2010 with Spain,” he told Manchester United’s official website.

He said he was lucky to win the Champions League and the Europa League, but the World Cup just stands out.

Mata continued: “And then the worst was probably when I was at Chelsea.

“I was voted, for two years, Player of the Year, I was playing regularly and I was playing very good and enjoying my football and then the situation changed.

“I stopped playing as much, my confidence was not as high and that was a challenge in my career that I had to overcome, but I think that it’s normal.”

Mata fell behind in the pecking order at Chelsea when Jose Mourinho who was the manager at the time preferred to deploy Oscar.

The former Valencia man had those defence-splitting passes up his sleeves, but Oscar’s defensive runs in the midfield were considered more important for Mourinho’s plan.

Asked whether he misses playing for Chelsea, Mata said: “I am very grateful for my time at Chelsea.

“They were two-and-a-half years and they were personally very, very good for me in terms of my development as a player, in terms of my development as a person.

“But the reality is now that I am at Manchester United and I couldn’t be happier.”