Benjamin Mata (born 10 August 1998) is a Cook Islands footballer who currently plays as an defender for Wellington Olympic and the Cook Islands national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin Leonardo Mata | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-08-10) 10 August 1998 (age 24) | ||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Wellington Olympic | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 0000–2015 | 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 | 21 | (9) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2015–2017 | New Zealand U17 | 6 | (2) |
| 2022– | Cook Islands | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:25, 16 March 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:02, 17 March 2022 (UTC) | |||
Mata 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]
Mata represented his native New Zealand at the youth level. He made his debut for the nation 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]
| Cook Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 |
Mata was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the brother of fellow footballer Max Mata.[7][12]