Juan Mata and Douglas Costa signal a new era of A-Leagues marquee mania after dark days

For the first time in over a decade, the A-League Men can boast two highly marketable, international stars and the media circus they’ve missed for so long.

After Sydney FC signed ex-Juventus and Bayern Munich man Douglas Costa, their crosstown rivals Western Sydney Wanderers one-upped them with the signing of Spanish World Cup winner and former Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata.

Given the often publicised (and widely accepted in mainstream media) line that the A-League is in dire straits and constantly on the verge of collapse, these signings are a sizable shot in the arm.

Costa and Mata, aged 34 and 36 respectively, bring the recognition and excitement the A-League has been desperate to have since the pandemic stymied its progress in the late 2010s.

Pre-season launches and marketing pushes for the A-Leagues have struggled to break out of its loyal and hardcore supporter base and into the mainstream since 2019, though you could argue since Del Piero’s departure in 2014.

There have been moments of cut-through with signings like Nani, Daniel Sturridge, and Cortnee Vine’s re-signing at Sydney last term in the A-League Women – but only one of those three really led to a palpable difference in the stands, on the pitch, and in the media — and that was Vine.

Another issue when you look back at Sturridge and Nani is that they didn’t coincide with each other. They were different seasons when they needed to be in the same stanza.

Now there’s a double punch. Two stars, in the same city, with three matches fixtures between their clubs, including a Unite Round derby. That’s exactly what you need.

Now, there’s two players at once who the league can rely on to get crowds not just at their club’s home matches, but when they’re a travelling circus across the country in away games. And best yet, Mata, much like Costa, is paid for entirely by Western Sydney Wanderers. No hit-and-hope handouts by the league.

Pessimists will point to Mata’s last season seeing him play just 10 minutes at Vissel Kobe, or Douglas Costa’s consistent injury issues and say both will be expensive flops — but that narrative brings joy to nobody.

Australian football is such a negative and draining space to be involved in. Even the harshest of sceptics should allow themselves a chance to feel the joy and jolt of excitement this calibre of signings brings to Australia.

It’s also true that the A-League has always had a marquee strategy, but has so often in the last few years been trumped by rival leagues like Japan’s J.League, America’s Major League Soccer, and the sudden rise of the Saudi Pro League.

Fernando Torres was stupidly close to signing for Sydney back in 2018, but once it leaked to the media it lost its traction. In the off-season clubs spend a lot of time speaking to players of that ilk — when it comes off, it is so often the result of nothing leaking and months, if not years, of communication with these players.

Sometimes you just need to jump on the bandwagon and enjoy where it takes you.

The hope, which always lingers in Australia with these big-name signings, is they enjoy their time Down Under so much they stick around and recommend their other world-class footballer mates come here for a kickabout. The true impact of marquee signings isn’t in the time they’re in Australia, but in the legacy they leave.

There is a genuine question to be asked about whether the big-name signings in the men’s competition are good news for the women’s competition, however.

Michelle Heyman’s marquee re-signing at Canberra United is a massive win the “Dub” needed, but the cost-cutting and still semi-professional nature of the entire league does look awkward when you look at these massive names joining the men’s competition — and the often-unsatisfactory attempts by some clubs at running their women’s teams.

For now though, let’s enjoy how fantastic it is for the local league to have players like Juan Mata, Douglas Costa and Michelle Heyman.

It’s fantastic for the upcoming stars of Australian football, who will benefit from playing alongside these greats across both leagues, and the fans who will watch them.