100 Quotes by Juan Mata

Obviously, when I play well and win a trophy, I feel happy about myself.

Maybe the yoga I do helps me to play as much as I do. It certainly gets you in the right frame of mind, stretches and relaxes you.

Real Madrid wanted me to join their academy. It was a big decision to move when I was 15. It's a key age for a youngster, and you're close to your friends and family. But I moved to Madrid, and my family stayed at home. It made me mature earlier than normal. That was a very big decision, and it changed me in a positive way.

If you want to be anonymous, you can go to Soho or Camden, and it's not a problem. There are a lot of Spanish people. If you go to Piccadilly or Oxford Circus, you hear lots of Spanish voices, but I'm not recognised much.

English football is changing: the champions don't play a 'typical' English style, for example. But in general, it's quicker than in Spain: more counter-attacks, more open, more direct.

I think that being confident gives you more freedom. It liberates you, helps you have the courage to do things on the football pitch.

Everything I do is about improvement.

One of the first lessons I learned in football is that it takes a team to win a game.

I train a lot. After training sessions, I like to stay with some balls and some goalkeepers - they help me a lot, too.