Ex-Gunner always praises English football, says Chelsea star

Friday, October 12, 2012
2:42 PM

Juan Mata believes he’s in a golden age for Spanish footballers playing in the Premier League and says that former Arsenal ace Cesc Fabregas has often told him the of debt he owes to English football.

The former Valencia man was omitted from the current Spain squad for this week’s World Cup qualifiers but he regularly comes up against his countrymen in domestic top flight action for the Blues, which he says is a better competition because of it.

“We play differently,” he told France Football about players from his homeland. “We propose something different than what people expect from English football, which is very physical and box-to-box.

“Spanish football is experiencing a very unique period now with all the trophies, and we are taking advantage of it.

“People want Spanish players in foreign leagues, so we are discovering new football and we improve.

“A lot of players developed in English football before coming back to Spain, like Cesc Fabregas. He came as a 15-year-old to Arsenal and he has often told me that he owes a lot to English football.”