Manchester United collected the season’s first silverware on Sunday afternoon, beating Southampton 3-2 at Wembley.
Prior to the match, it was noted that Juan Mata hadn’t made the trip to London with his teammates prompting some to speculate that he may miss the final.
It’s since emerged that Mata had in fact been in Spain for the funeral of his grandfather towards the end of last week. United reportedly provided a private jet for him to make his way to London on Saturday evening in order to join up with the rest of the squad.
Mata started the final but was replaced at half-time by Michael Carrick. After the full-time whistle, the Spaniard posted a poignant message on his Instagram account.
Accompanying a picture of himself holding the trophy was a short caption which appeared to dedicate his victory to his grandfather.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRAz9nqFkAK/?taken-by=juanmatagarcia
‘Not just another trophy, but a very special one,’ Mata wrote. Â ‘You will be always with me.’
Mata is understood to have made the trip back to Spain following United’s 1-0 Europa League victory over St. Etienne last Wednesday. Although the club had wanted to keep the news quiet it was leaked in Spain before it was confirmed by a United spokesperson.
