Benjamin Mata (born 10 August 1998) is a footballer cookian of argentine descent, who plays as a central defender for New Zealand Central League club Wellington Olympic, which he captains. Born in Cook Islands, he plays for the Cook Islands national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin Leonardo Mata | ||
| Date of birth | 10 August 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Wellington Olympic | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | Wanderers SC | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Missouri State Bears | 0 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | Onehunga Sports | ||
| 2016–2017 | Wellington Phoenix Reserves | 12 | (0) |
| 2018 | Papakura City | ||
| 2019 | Tupapa Maraerenga | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Team Wellington | 12 | (0) |
| 2021– | Wellington Olympic | 71 | (31) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2017 | Cook Islands U17 | 6 | (2) |
| 2022– | Cook Islands | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 January 2023 | |||
Club career
editMata began his youth career with Wanderers SC.[1] After his departure from the club he joined Onehunga Sports.[2] The following season he was signed to the reserve side of Wellington Phoenix of the A-League.[3][4] He was one of two players to receive the Winston Reid Scholarship to join the club.[5]
In 2017 he committed to play college soccer in the United States for the Bears of Missouri State University.[6] However, he did not go on to appear for the team.[7]
In 2018 Mata joined Papakura City for one season.[8][1] In 2019 he joined Tupapa Maraerenga of the Cook Islands Round Cup. He made two appearances for the club in 2019 OFC Champions League qualification, scoring three goals.[9][10]
Later in 2019 he moved to Team Wellington. He remained with the club until 2021 when he signed across town with Wellington Olympic.[11] During his first season with Olympic, Mata helped the team win the Central League title that season.[12][13] After the move to Olympic he was named captain of the squad.[14][15]
International career
editBorn in New Zealand, Mata represented the country at the youth level. He made his debut for them at the 2015 OFC U-17 Championship.[1][16] After qualifying as champions of the 2017 OFC U-17 Championship, he was then part of the squad that advanced to the round of 16 in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He captained the side in the team's round of 16 loss to Brazil.[7]
In March 2022 it was confirmed that Mata had committed to representing the Cook Islands internationally and had been included in the nation’s squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[17][18] He went on to make his senior international debut on 17 March 2022 in the opening match against the Solomon Islands. He served as captain of the squad in his first-ever appearance.[19]
International career statistics
edit- As of match played 17 March 2022[20]
| Cook Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 |
Personal life
editMata was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His younger brother, Max, is also a footballer.[7][12]
Honours
editTeam Wellington
References
edit- ^ a b c "TEAM WELLINGTON SIGN BEN MATA AFTER SUCCESSFUL TRIAL". Team Wellington FC. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "Programme Round 1". Northern Regional Football League. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "PHOENIX U-20 BOSS HEDGE EXCITED FOR SEASON-OPENING CLASH WITH EASTERN SUBURBS". Wellington Phoenix. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Rolo, Phillip. "Tasman United coach Richard Anderson knows it's time for team to deliver". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Mata version 2.0 on the scene". Oceania Football Confederation. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Bears Land Two International Soccer Players". Missouri State Athletics. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ a b c "Missouri State profile". Missouri State Athletics. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ Easby, Josh (28 June 2018). "Coach keen for first win". Cambridge News. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Soccerway profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "All to play for on final Match Day". Oceania Football Confederation. February 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "2021 Northern and Central League Player Lists". New Zealand Footblll. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ a b "The World Cup squad stacked with Lotto NRFL names — and a comedian". Friends of Football New Zealand. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ Rolo, Phillip. "Wellington Olympic claim Central League title with win over Miramar Rangers". Stuff.co.national. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH CENTRAL SERIES – MEN'S TEAM OF THE SEASON". theniche-cache.com. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "Which club is going to be South Central Series Champion?". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Football: Shootout sends U-17s to Chile". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Cook Islands confirm squad for Oceania Qualifiers". Oceania Football Confederation. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Wellington Olympic's Ben Mata set to play for Cook Islands". Oceania Football Center. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Cook Islands vs. Solomon Islands". FIFA. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "National Football Teams profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
External links
edit- Benjamin Mata at National-Football-Teams.com
- Benjamin Mata at Soccerway
- Missouri State Bears profile