Mata reveals reason he threw boot in the air

The Spaniard embraced Anthony Martial with just one shoe on after tapping in to help his side to three points - but he says he got it back!

Manchester United star Juan Mata celebrated in a rather unusual manner after scoring his side’s opening goal in their 2-0 win over Watford on Saturday.

The Spaniard completed a lovely flowing move involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial to help Jose Mourinho’s men to three Premier League points at Old Trafford. But it was the aftermath of his goal that really caught the eye.
As he ran towards Martial to thank the Frenchman for providing the decisive pass, he tossed his boot high in the air and completed the celebration with just one on.

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Juan Mata García 

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Yes, I found the boot after the celebration! @ManUtd @adidasfootball @premierleague #mufc

8:31 PM - 11 Feb 2017

 
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The reason appears to be simply that it was coming off as he turned the ball into the net from close range and preferred to show his joy rather than have to deal with the mundane task of putting it back on.
The player acknowledged on Twitter that it was a rather unusual moment, posting a picture of him embracing his team-mates with just one shoe on.

“Yes, I found the boot after the celebration!” he told concerned fans.

"My boot was half on and half off by the time I scored," Mata told reporters after the match. "So when I started to celebrate it just went off and it was good advertising for Adidas."

The 28-year-old has enjoyed a fine season for the Red Devils, scoring six goals in 20 Premier League outings.