"Magical king", "Shook the status quo" - Fans in awe as ex-Chelsea and Manchester United star Juan Mata gets Harvard degree

Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata seems to be concentrating more on his off-the-field interests after having an illustrious footballing career. The 36-year-old recently shocked the footballing fraternity by boasting about his Harvard degree in a social media post.

"Incredibly proud to announce that I have just finished the wonderful Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports program at Harvard Business School," captioned Juan Mata in his LinkedIn post announcing his degree to the world.

Fans around the world have lauded the efforts of the former Manchester United player and congratulated him for earning his degree from the coveted university.

"You retire from one career and move to the next. Magical king this one," hailed one fan on X (formerly Twitter).

"Wow, this kind of story doesn't come by every day. Juan Mata shook the status quo by going to Harvard. Most of the retired footballers are either going into coaching or punditry!" commented another.

Here are some more fan reactions to Mata's achievement.

"Wow, congratulations, Mata. What an achievement," lauded one X user.

"Big congratulations to him," commented another.

"A very big congratulations to him," opined another X user.

Finally, an X user summed up the blend of footballing and intellectual ability of the former Manchester United player in a perfectly worded tweet.

"From the hallowed turf of Old Trafford to the ivy-clad halls of Harvard, Juan Mata, the Spanish midfielder whose intellectual curiosity has always set him apart from his peers, has reached a new milestone in his personal and professional journey, adding a prestigious Harvard degree to an already impressive resume that includes two Champions League titles and a World Cup win," he commented.

Although Mata hasn't officially retired from top-flight football, the 36-year-old has invested his time and money into a variety of different sectors lately.

The Spaniard has invested in a Manchester restaurant, established the charity Common Goal in 2017, invested in the Spanish club Real Oviedo, and has focussed on achieving his lofty academic goals.

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Juan Mata's career stats with Manchester United, Chelsea and other European clubs

Manchester United v Chelsea - Premier League (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Juan Mata was one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe in his prime. The 36-year-old won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 and was awarded Chelsea's Player of the Year twice during his time at Stamford Bridge. He also won the Europa League and the FA Cup with the Blues.

The midfielder joined Manchester United in 2014 and won the FA Cup, Europa League, and the EFL Cup with the Red Devils.

Mata was also a part of the 2010 World Cup-winning Spanish side and scored a goal in the Euro 2012 final against Italy to make it 4-0 for the Spanish side. The midfielder scored 10 goals in 41 appearances for the Spain national team.

In his club career so far, Mata has scored 142 goals and created 150 more in 651 games.