By Paul Glynn & Ian Youngs
Entertainment & arts reporters
Former Manchester United star Juan Mata is to select an all-star squad of football's most creative talents to team up with leading artists to celebrate the beautiful game.
The World Cup winner is assembling 11 players to collaborate on artworks that pay homage to "artists on the pitch".
Mata will kick off the project with performance artist Tino Seghal in Manchester this summer.
It will culminate with a major exhibition in the city in 2025.
The Spanish midfielder said he was excited to "come home" and to recruit a team of playmakers he admires for the Manchester International Festival (MIF).