Mata, who has nine goals and eight assists for Louis van Gaal’s team this season, has even admitted that he “lives in a bubble”, sounding off about a number of issues to do with the commercial side of the game.
“It costs £40 to watch United play. It’s not cheap,” Mata told Spanish television show Salvados on Sunday night when asked about the cost of tickets.
“I can understand what they’re talking about [when people say they hate the modern game]. The business side of football makes it seem as though the owners are now more important than the fans.
“It’s not like the football of old; there wasn’t as much press coverage before or as many interested parties looking for their cut.”
He added: “Football is very well remunerated at this level. It’s like we live in a bubble. With respect to the rest of society, we earn a ridiculous amount. It’s unfathomable. With respect to the world of football, I earn a normal wage. But compared to 99.9% of Spain and the rest of the world, I earn an obscene amount. The barometer we use for measuring our salaries is comparing them to those of our team-mates and what other players are earning elsewhere.
“I live in [a bubble]. Real life is the one my friends live. They’ve had to look for work, sign on to the dole and emigrate. That’s normal life now. My life as a footballer is not normal.
“I don’t enjoy the business side of football. I love the game. I love training and competing. I’d happily take a pay cut if there was less business involvement in the sport.
“At this level we’re very well paid and sometimes you get to thinking that there really isn’t much of a difference between x and x plus three.”
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