Former World Cup and Champions League winner Juan Mata has joined Vissel Kobe, the J-League first-division club said Sunday.
The 35-year-old Spanish playmaker has been without a club after leaving Turkish club Galatasaray this summer and will join a Kobe side in the thick of the J1 title race.
"I want to touch the Japanese culture while contributing to our chase for the title," Mata, a member of the Spanish team that won the 2010 World Cup along with former Vissel star Andres Iniesta, told a press conference.
Mata also revealed he is a fan of Japanese author Haruki Murakami's works, stating, "I've long wanted to come to this country."
Mata is set to wear the No. 64 shirt for Kobe as he did at Galatasaray in memory of his late mother, who died at age 64.
Mata is expected to fill in for Kobe's former Rubin Kazan midfielder Mitsuki Saito, who suffered a serious left knee injury against Kashiwa Reysol on Aug. 19 that has ruled him out for a year.
The skillful attacker starred for Valencia in the Spanish La Liga before winning the European Champions League with English Premier League side Chelsea in 2012.
He spent eight and a half seasons at Manchester United from 2014 and was teammates there with former Japan No. 10 Shinji Kagawa, now of Cerezo Osaka.
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