On Saturday, Man United star Juan Mata did not only win over the hearts of the club’s legion of supporters, but also earned the respect of football fans with a class act after the 1-0 win over Norwich.
With only 18 minutes remaining on the clock, the Spanish playmaker found the back of the net to hand his side the win and three precious points, moving the Red Devils to within a point of fourth-placed rivals Manchester City.
FT: @NorwichCityFC 0-1 @ManUtd.
— LiveSoccerTV.com (@LiveSoccerTV) May 7, 2016
Mata sends the Red Devils within a point of #MCFC.#NORMUN pic.twitter.com/bR26yEsAra
However, the former Chelsea midfielder will not be remembered for his winning goal, but rather the class act he displayed to go over and embrace a young fan in a wheelchair after the final whistle was blown on the weekend game.
It didn’t take very long for the Man United ace to be hailed on social media for his gesture, as many took to Twitter to show their respect for the 28-year-old. Check out the best tweets.
Class from Juan Mata #MUFC pic.twitter.com/MOlOlGsPem
— Manchester United (@MUFCScoop) May 7, 2016
Watching Juan Mata with disabled fan, what a touch of class from the man #morethanagame ##juanmata
— Jim Armstrong (@luckyjim1968) May 7, 2016
@ManUtd @juanmata8 So clear to see how much of a nice guy Juan Mata is. Class act
— Kashif Mirza (@KashKid_07) May 7, 2016
Juan Mata is an example of what every footballer should be like, it's not all about the game
— ' (@GerrardsPrime) May 7, 2016
Of course, Mata’s 72nd minute strike must not be taken lightly, as it has now lifted Van Gaal’s side to 63 points, with the Citizens and the Gunners – due to lock horns on Sunday – boasting 64 and 67, respectively, having all played 36 games.
The victory has handed the 20-time Premier League champion fresh new hope in their chase of a top-four finish, as lamented by their Dutch manager after the 1-0 win.
Van Gaal to #MUTV: "I'm very happy - it was not easy because Norwich are fighting against relegation. We are still in the [top-four] race."
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 7, 2016
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