Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata has revealed his emotions after facing his former teammates on a ‘special’ occasion at Old Trafford.
The Spaniard was a fan favorite during his two-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge and has continued to hold a soft spot in many a Chelsea fan’s heart.
He came up against his former teammates for the first time during Chelsea’s dramatic 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday, and has written about the occasion in his blog.
“As you can imagine, this has been a very intense day for me,” he wrote.
“A Sunday full of emotions because of the big game against Chelsea.”
Facing them for the first time was special and the match, very even in my opinion, was tense until the last minute.
He went on to praise the Chelsea fans that made the trip to Manchester and revealed that he will always have fond memories of them from his time in West London.
“Its worth mentioning the Chelsea fans in Old Trafford; their affection comforts me,” he said.
“As I have said so many times, I will always feel grateful to them and to the club.”
I feel there is mutual respect and this is very important for me in all aspects of life.
Mata left Chelsea to join then United manager David Moyes after a difficult half-season in London, during which he spent a lot of time on the Chelsea bench.
However, there is clearly no hard feelings from the midfielder towards his former club, manager or teammates after two brilliant seasons with The Blues, during which he won the FA Cup, Europa League and the Champions League.
