Former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Mata is expected to make his Wanderers debut next Saturday, going head to head with Sydney FC's star off-season recruit, ex-Juventus and Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa.
The Wanderers are anticipating a full house at CommBank Stadium and the two players' resumes have league bosses hoping the duo can bring back a level of interest not seen since the time Alessandro Del Piero and Shinji Ono straddled the cross-city divide.
A lot can happen in 20 years. In the case of the A-Leagues, just about everything has 🇦🇺🇳🇿⚽�— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) Here's to another 20 years of OUR leagues - and many more.The 20th season of the Isuzu UTE A-League kicks off on October 18. The Ninja A-League returns November 1. pic.twitter.com/w8HictzAIsOctober 8, 2024
Mata arrives at the Wanderers aged 36, but Socceroos forward Borrello says the World Cup-winning Spaniard is ready to show that he didn't make a move to Australia simply to pick up a pay cheque in retirement.
"Bringing these big names in is hard for clubs because you don't know what you're going to get," Borrello said.Â
"We've done all the right research and he (Mata) has bought into the way we play and he's been made aware that (in the ALM) it's back and forth and counter-attacking football.
"He's definitely signed up for some of that running and aggressiveness.
"But I said to him, 'Look, mate, if I have to do a bit more running to keep you on the pitch then I'll do it'.
"I think (the arrival of Mata and Costa) is one of the best things that has happened in the league since Del Piero."
@wswanderersfc 🛬 There we land! #wsw #Juanmata #aleague #westernsydneywanderers #footballculture #RBB ♬ Say - Memphis LK & Willaris. K
Mata has yet to play in Australia but the potential of him combining with Borrello, Swedish import Marcus Antonsson and rising Olyroos playmaker Nicolas Milanovic, who is expected to agree to a contract extension with the club, is an exciting prospect.Â
Sydney will be hoping Costa can have a similar impact on their fortunes after revamping their frontline from last season.
Costa, a 31-cap Brazil international, has already shown his class in the Asian Champions League 2. Fellow winger Joe Lolley is confident the duo can score or assist for Polish frontman Patryk Klimala.
"Douglas is very humble ... he's just another one of the guys and the biggest compliment I can give him is that's he a normal guy," Lolley said.Â
"Being in Australia you don't get to see these types of players come around too often.
"It's a great opportunity for all the casual fans to watch and hopefully it draws eyes to the quality of the league and the rest of the young boys coming through."
