Juan Mata getting revenge on Kyle Walker is an underrated Premier League moment | OneFootball

Not many footballers can say they’ve managed to embarrass Kyle Walker, but Juan Mata is one of them.

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When Neymar was asked to name the toughest defender he’d ever faced, the Brazilian admitted it was Walker, describing the English full-back as "fast, strong and intelligent.”

Walker has held his own - and usually got the better of - most of the world’s best wingers over the past decade.

But the Manchester City star will never forget the day he came up against Mata, who was nothing short of sensational for the majority of his two-and-a-half-year spell at Chelsea.

How did Juan Mata get revenge on Kyle Walker?

In October 2012, Tottenham (Walker’s club at the time) suffered a 4-2 defeat at home to Chelsea.

With just over 15 minutes remaining, Walker took his frustrations out on Mata by unnecessarily kicking the ball at him at full pelt from close range.

Mata wasn’t happy and had words with Walker, who was unapologetic.

However, the Spaniard made Walker pay in the closing minutes of the match, dispossessing the defender from almost the exact same position where the previous incident had occurred.

Walker was left in a heap and could only turn his head and watch as Mata teed up Daniel Sturridge to net Chelsea’s fourth goal of the afternoon.

Mata really was on another level during his time at Chelsea.

While the playmaker enjoyed plenty of good moments with Manchester United, it was Chelsea supporters who had the privilege of witnessing the World Cup winner at his mercurial best week in, week out.

“Would love to know what I'm doing so different I give 100 per cent every game and still u (have) something to say I'm 22 and learning #embarrassing,” he tweeted at the time, per the Daily Mail.

Walker, of course, went on to become a world-class full-back and recently won the treble with Man City.

Mata, meanwhile, is now 35 years old and currently plying his trade with Turkish giants Galatasaray.