Juan Mata has spent almost as much time at Manchester United now (2+ seasons) as he has at Chelsea (2.5 seasons), but clearly he still holds a very special place in Chelsea fans' hearts. Of course, we're pretty good about receiving our old heroes like heroes, as Petr Cech (with Arsenal), Frank Lampard (with Manchester City), and Didier Drogba (with Galatasaray) can attest to recently. While Mata is not quite as legendary as those three, he remains a crowd favorite.
"It was special. I'm always grateful. I spent two and a half great years here and they were amazing for me since the first day. It's always special to play here and I really appreciate it. I'm really grateful."
-Juan Mata; source: Sky Sports
With Big Meanie Jose Mourinho about to follow Juan Mata to Manchester United like a bad dream, maybe it's time to start talks about bringing The Special Juan back to the Stamford Bridge? This wouldn't be so crazy, would it?
What a gent @juanmata8 is - repeats his gesture from last year by embracing every #CFC player as they exit @br_uk pic.twitter.com/MvifObswsX
— Garry Hayes (@garryhayes) February 7, 2016
Awww.