Max Mata

Max Andrew Mata (born 10 July 2000) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a forward for A-League club Auckland, on loan from club Shrewsbury Town, and the New Zealand national team.

New Zealand
After shining in New Zealand as the youngest goalscorer in the country's top-flight at 15, Mata travelled to Switzerland to train with Grasshoppers. After an impressive trial period, he signed for the club.

Grasshoppers
After scoring four goals in his first seven games for the reserves, he was loaned to Estonian side, Nõmme Kalju, in 2019 to further his development in a first-team environment. Mata never established himself with Zurich's first-team.

Loan to Nõmme Kalju
After joining on loan, Mata made his professional debut for Nõmme Kalju in their 5–0 loss to Celtic in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round on 24 July 2019. Mata would make 20 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 12 times.

Real Monarchs
Mata left Switzerland on a free transfer in December 2020 and signed for American second-tier side, Real Monarchs.

Sligo Rovers
On 15 February 2022, it was announced that Mata had signed for League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers. He was named Sligo Rovers' Young Player of the Year in the same year. He finished the 2022 season with seven goals and four assists in sixteen appearances in the league, as well as scoring twice in the Europa Conference League. In July 2022, he signed a contract extension until at least the end of the 2024 season. In February 2023, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 win away to UCD at the UCD Bowl.

Shrewsbury Town
On 3 August 2023, Mata signed for League One club Shrewsbury Town on a three-year deal.

Loan to Sligo Rovers
On 15 February 2024, it was announced that Mata had returned to Sligo Rovers, on loan until the summer. He scored 4 goals in 14 appearances during his time back on loan with the club.

Loan to Auckland
On 3 June 2024, it was announced that Mata had joined newly formed A-League side Auckland on loan.

Youth
Mata was named in the New Zealand U-20 side for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He was picked for the tournament even though he would be unavailable for the first two games of the tournament due to a red card that he picked up in the final of the OFC U-19 Championship qualifiers. Mata ended up making two appearances for the U-20s, first in the last group game against Uruguay, where he captained the team, and in the round of 16 penalty shootout loss to Colombia.

Senior
Mata made his international debut on 15 November 2019, coming on as a substitute for New Zealand in their 0–1 loss to Lithuania. After a long spell out of the national team, he earned a call up in March 2023 for two friendly fixtures against China, followed by another callup in June for friendlies against Sweden and Qatar.

Personal life
Mata is of Māori and Cook Island Māori descent. His older brother, Benjamin, is a footballer playing for Wellington Olympic and the Cook Islands national team.

Honours
New Zealand U17
 * OFC U-17 Championship: 2017

New Zealand U19
 * OFC U-19 Championship: 2018

New Zealand
 * OFC Nations Cup: 2024

Individual
 * OFC U-19 Men's Championship Golden Boot: 2018