Juan Mata Leaves Japan: When the Last Gentleman Bows Out of Football’s Circus
Juan Mata, the 36-year-old Spaniard who still looks like he should be carrying a backpack full of algebra homework, has announced he’s leaving Vissel Kobe after a single season. In the grand theatre of global football—where oligarchs binge-buy clubs like late-night Amazon impulse purchases—this is hardly seismic. Yet, in the sardonic opera of modern sport,…