Juan Mata admits he's surprised by how Chelsea fans have taken to him since his arrival almost two years ago.

Mata has been in sensational form since ­arriving from Valencia in a £23.5million deal in August 2011.­­ And he has become a firm fans' favourite since scoring on his Chelsea debut in a 3-1 win against ­Norwich City.

He told the Daily Star Sunday: "It has surprised me ­because I didn't expect to be so successful so soon.

"When you change the country you play in, you are a little bit scared because you don't know how it will work out.

"But I scored on my debut - and, thankfully, everything has been good since then."