The 37-year-old Spanish World Cup champion could be sidelined for the remainder of the 2025/26 A-League Men season following a fracture to his left elbow.
Medical scans conducted on Monday confirmed that Mata sustained the fracture during the first half of Melbourne Victory’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Wellington Phoenix over the weekend.
The club has not yet provided a timeline for Mata’s recovery, and discussions are forthcoming regarding the possibility of surgery.
“It’s disappointing to see Juan out due to injury, but our focus at Melbourne Victory is to support his recovery in every possible way,” stated head coach Arthur Diles in a concise club announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
“We remain optimistic about his return to the squad during the 2025/26 season.”
It remains to be seen if Mata will be able to participate in the Victory’s finals campaign, which is slated to commence on the first weekend of May. Regardless, the Spanish icon has practically secured the prestigious Johnny Warren Medal for the A-League’s most valuable player of the season, having netted five goals and provided 13 assists in 23 appearances.
Of those 18 goal contributions, 15 occurred this calendar year, leading to him being honoured as the competition’s Player of the Month for both January and March.
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