Max Mata

Youth

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.

Senior

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.

New Zealand

After shining in New Zealand as the youngest goalscorer in the country's top-flight at 15, Mata travelled to Switzerland to train with Grasshoppers. After an impressive trial period, he signed for the club.

Grasshoppers

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 Grasshopper's first-team.

Loan to Nõmme Kalju

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 11 times.

Real Monarchs

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

Sligo Rovers

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.

Shrewsbury Town

On 3 August 2023, Mata…

Club

As of match played 19 June 2026

International

As of match played 30 June 2024

Scores and results list New Zealand's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mata goal.

Mata is of Māori and Cook Island Māori descent. His older brother, Benjamin, is a footballer playing for Wellington Olympic and the Cook Islands national team.