Benjamin Mata
Personal information
Full name Benjamin Leonardo Mata
Date of birth (1998-08-10) 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
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 45 (16)
International career‡
2015–2017 New Zealand U17 6 (2)
2022– Cook Islands 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 January 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 January 2023

Benjamin Mata (born 10 August 1998) is a Cook Islands footballer who currently plays as a central defender for Wellington Olympic and the Cook Islands national team.

Club career

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]

International

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]

International career statistics

As of match played 17 March 2022[20]
Cook Islands
YearAppsGoals
202210
Total10

Personal

Mata was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the brother of fellow footballer Max Mata.[7][12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "TEAM WELLINGTON SIGN BEN MATA AFTER SUCCESSFUL TRIAL". Team Wellington FC. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Programme Round 1". Northern Regional Football League. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "PHOENIX U-20 BOSS HEDGE EXCITED FOR SEASON-OPENING CLASH WITH EASTERN SUBURBS". Wellington Phoenix. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  4. ↑ Rolo, Phillip. "Tasman United coach Richard Anderson knows it's time for team to deliver". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Mata version 2.0 on the scene". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Bears Land Two International Soccer Players". Missouri State Athletics. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 "Missouri State profile". Missouri State Athletics. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Easby, Josh. "Coach keen for first win". Cambridge News. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "Soccerway profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "All to play for on final Match Day". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "2021 Northern and Central League Player Lists". New Zealand Footblll. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  12. 1 2 "The World Cup squad stacked with Lotto NRFL names — and a comedian". Friends of Football New Zealand. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  13. ↑ Rolo, Phillip. "Wellington Olympic claim Central League title with win over Miramar Rangers". Stuff.co.national. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH CENTRAL SERIES – MEN'S TEAM OF THE SEASON". theniche-cache.com. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Which club is going to be South Central Series Champion?". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "Football: Shootout sends U-17s to Chile". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "Cook Islands confirm squad for Oceania Qualifiers". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  18. ↑ "Wellington Olympic's Ben Mata set to play for Cook Islands". Oceania Football Center. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  19. ↑ "Cook Islands vs. Solomon Islands". FIFA. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "National Football Teams profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
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