Max Mata

Max Andrew Mata (born 10 July 2000) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a forward for League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers, on loan from club Shrewsbury Town as well as the New Zealand national team.

After shining in New Zealand as the youngest goalscorer in the country's top-flight at 15, Mata travelled to Switzerland to train with Swiss giants, Grasshoppers.

After an impressive trial period, he signed for the club.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mata is of Māori and Cook Island Māori descent.

His older brother, Ben Mata, is a footballer with Wellington Olympic and the Cook Islands national team.

New Zealand U17

New Zealand U19

Individual

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

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.

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

On 15 February 2024, it was announced that Mata had returned to Sligo Rovers, on loan until the summer.