On 2 July 2018, Jaime Mata Arnaiz signed a three-year deal with Getafe as a free agent. He was coming from Real Valladolid. There he had finished the 2017-18 season as the Spanish second division's top scorer and had helped the club win promotion to La Liga. Mata is a 1.85-metre centre-forward who could also play out wide. He was born on 24 October 1988 in the Madrid region. Before reaching the top flight, he spent almost a decade in the Spanish fourth, third and second tiers.
Youth and the Tercera División years
He came through the youth ranks at Tres Cantos and, from 2000, at Pegaso. He made his senior debut with the reserve side and by 2008-09 was playing for the first team in the Tercera División, with 17 goals in 42 games. Rayo Vallecano signed him in December 2009. The federation would not allow him to be registered with the reserves in mid-season, so Rayo loaned him to UD Socuéllamos, another fourth-tier side. In the summer of 2010 he joined CD Móstoles on a season-long loan and scored 25 goals in 37 matches. In 2011 he returned to Rayo Vallecano B in Segunda División B and finished as the reserve team's top scorer.
Lleida and Girona
In July 2012 he moved to Lleida Esportiu in the third tier. He spent two seasons with the Catalan club, which came close to promotion both times. On 18 June 2014 he signed a two-year contract with Girona, which took him up to the second division. He made his debut on 24 August 2014 in a 1-0 win over Racing de Santander and scored his first goal six days later. On 11 June 2015 he scored twice at La Romareda in the first leg of the promotion play-off semi-final against Real Zaragoza. That Girona side did not go up, and the following year they again fell short in the play-offs. In total he scored 21 goals in 82 games for the club.
On 30 June 2016 he joined Real Valladolid on a two-year deal. He scored six goals in his first season but never secured a regular starting place. The 2017-18 season was very different. He was named second division Player of the Month for September 2017, scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 away win at Lorca on 19 May 2018 and finished the campaign with 33 league goals. That made him the Spanish second division's top scorer, and his two play-off goals took his total to 35. Valladolid won the play-offs and went up to La Liga in June 2018.
Six seasons at Getafe
He made his La Liga debut in August 2018, by then a Getafe player. His first top-flight goal came on 1 October 2018, the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Celta at Balaídos. That winter he became a regular starter. On 9 February 2019 he scored twice against Celta and then scored in each of the next four rounds. He was named La Liga Player of the Month for February 2019 and ended the season with 14 league goals. In 2019-20 he added 11 league goals and played in the Europa League under José Bordalás. On 17 October 2020 he scored the penalty that gave Getafe a 1-0 win over FC Barcelona. His role shrank over the following seasons, but he stayed in the squad until June 2024. The club announced his departure in May of that year. He left with 196 appearances and 46 goals in all competitions.
One cap for Spain
On 15 March 2019, aged 30 and established at Getafe, he was called up by Luis Enrique to the Spain national team for the first two Euro 2020 qualifiers, against Norway and Malta. He made his debut on 23 March 2019 at Mestalla, replacing Álvaro Morata in the closing minutes of a 2-1 win over Norway. It was his only senior international appearance.
Las Palmas and Racing de Santander
On 27 June 2024 he signed a one-year deal with UD Las Palmas, with the option of a second year. On 31 October 2024 he scored four times in a 7-0 away win over Ontiñena in the first round of the Copa del Rey. They were his only goals that season. The club triggered the extension in June 2025, but the two parties terminated the contract in December of that year. On 9 February 2026 he joined Racing de Santander until the end of the season. He scored once for the Cantabrian club, which won the 2025-26 Spanish second division title and returned to La Liga after fourteen years away.
TBCForwardMarket value €200.0K