Benjamin Mata

Benjamin Mata (born 10 August 1998) is a footballer who plays as a central defender for New Zealand Central League club Wellington Olympic, which he captains. Born in New Zealand, he plays for the Cook Islands national team.

Club career
Mata began his youth career with Wanderers SC. After his departure from the club he joined Onehunga Sports. The following season he was signed to the reserve side of Wellington Phoenix of the A-League. He was one of two players to receive the Winston Reid Scholarship to join the club.

In 2017 he committed to play college soccer in the United States for the Bears of Missouri State University. However, he did not go on to appear for the team.

In 2018 Mata joined Papakura City for one season. 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.

Later in 2019 he moved to Team Wellington. He remained with the club until 2021 when he signed across town with Wellington Olympic. During his first season with Olympic, Mata helped the team win the Central League title that season. After the move to Olympic he was named captain of the squad.

International career
Born in New Zealand, Mata represented the country at the youth level. He made his debut for them at the 2015 OFC U-17 Championship. 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.

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. 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.

Personal life
Mata was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His younger brother, Max, is also a footballer.

Honours
Team Wellington
 * New Zealand Football Championship: 2020–21