Ander Herrera and Juan Mata have got each other covered at Manchester United - they are in tune on the pitch and in step off it, sharing a friendship that is clear to see.
Both are sons of footballers who grew up with the game and cut their teeth in the Spanish league, they played alongside one another at international youth levels, winning the UEFA Under-21 European Championship together, and they also came up against each other while playing in La Liga.
During the summer tour of the United States, we brought the two of them together for an exclusive interview with MUTV that was also published in the pages of Inside United magazine. During a lively chat – punctuated with laughs – they chatted about their formative years, their shared outlook and a mutual affection for Manchester…
LEARNING THE GAME IN SPAIN…
Mata: I always remember myself with a ball. My dad used to play so from the day I was born football was in my blood. I used to play with my sister and with friends and then at my first club so my life was always about football. Obviously there was studying and other things I did but I always felt football was my thing. As I got older I moved to Madrid, then to Valencia and then to England – everything went so quickly. I feel very lucky to be a professional footballer.
Herrera: My youth career was perhaps more balanced because I spent all of my young career with Real Zaragoza who are my home team. I have the same memories as Juan, I was always with a ball and enjoying myself. Later I went to Bilbao where I spent three years.
FINDING THEIR POSITIONS…
Mata: I used to be a striker, then I played as a no.10, then at Valencia I was a left winger and at Chelsea I was in midfield. I am very happy with where I'm playing right now. It doesn't matter where you play you have to try to help the team, but obviously the best feeling in football is to score goals. I remember when I was 10/11 years old scoring a lot of goals – it was a great feeling to be a striker.
Herrera: I never scored so many goals! So a midfielder was always my position. My best season for scoring goals was the last one.
BATTLING IT OUT IN LA LIGA…
Mata: You know we used to play against each other in Spain and it was not that nice!
Herrera: I wasn't tough against him because he used to dive!
Mata: We were playing in a match, Valencia against Real Zaragoza, and I always say now it's very nice to play with him. But when I used to play against him he was always speaking and doing things…
Herrera: I was trying to make it difficult for my opponent! I knew what an important player Juan was for Valencia so I tried to make the game as hard as possible. And I was sent off in that game!
Mata: They rescinded the card, no?
Herrera: Yes because it was not fair! I will show you the video and you will see he dived!
BEING ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH…
Herrera: I think we are very similar. We understand football and life in a similar way. We love football but we also love a lot of other things, like the cinema and to read. We try to spend time together, also with David. We have a very good Spanish group at United and we are looking forward to the next moments at this club because we have found our place here at United.
ANDER, THE FOOTBALL NUT…
Herrera: Sorry I must just say… sometimes I speak too much about football…
Mata: I was just going to say that! As a player everyone can see how well he did for us last season. Your first season is never easy, especially coming to England to such a big club with the pressure and expectations. But he did very well and scored a lot of goals and was very good in a lot of games, playing well and linking things up. We used to play together a lot for the Spanish Under-21 national team so we know each other very well, but yes he's crazy about football. You can be speaking about something else and then suddenly he will say, 'do you know that player from the Italian league playing in the second division?!' He just knows about everything!
Herrera: Sometimes I can see Juan closing his eyes and then I realise that I have to stop talking!
Mata: He's crazy about football but in a good way because the football he likes and understands is the same kind I like. We live very close to each other so we spend a lot of time together.
CONNECTING WITH MANCHESTER…
Herrera: We like to know about the place where we are. Of course we have to try to enjoy a private life and focus on football, but we also have time to get to know the English culture and people from Manchester. When you are in a team like Manchester United you have to know about the history and what people think about you and the club, and what they ask of you as a player. So we try to be in contact with the people.
Mata: Everywhere I have lived I have to get to know it or visit some places and try to disconnect from football because I need it. It's not that I want to but I need to do it. I like to go to Manchester and have a coffee or go to a nice park or a museum and we have nice restaurants and bars near our houses. That's normal life. We are playing football but we like to have a normal life as well.
Herrera: Football gives you a lot of opportunities to visit a lot of places, even in America on tour when we visit different cities. We have to enjoy the chances that football gives you.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN