Javi Martínez
Encyclopedia
Javier "Javi" Martínez Aguinaga (ˈxaβi marˈtineθ aɣiˈnaɣa; born 2 September 1988 in Estella-Lizarra, Navarre
) is a Spanish
footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao
in La Liga
, as a central midfielder.
Martínez also played for the Spanish national team
and was a member of the squad that won the 2010 World Cup
.
signed Martínez as a raw 17-year old for €
6 million, in the summer of 2006, from fellow La Liga
team CA Osasuna
, despite him never having played a first team game.
Martínez soon became a regular in the side in his debut season with powerful displays, his highlight being scoring twice against Deportivo de La Coruña
, in a 16 December 2006 2–0 away success. He finished the campaign with 35 matches and three goals, and again was everpresent in the following two, helping Athletic to the 2009 Copa del Rey
final
.
In the 2009 summer, Martínez was the subject of transfer speculation linking him to Liverpool
, as a replacement for Real Madrid
-bound Xabi Alonso
, but rumors eventually died down. The midfield engine of the team once more - 46 official matches, nine goals - he scored a career-best six times in the league campaign
, as Athletic narrowly missed on another UEFA Europa League qualification.
In the 2011–12 season
, under new manager Marcelo Bielsa
, Martínez began being regularly used as a central defender.
, representing the nation at the 2009 UEFA European Championships
in Sweden
, in a group stage exit.
On 20 May 2010, he was named in the senior side
's list of 23 for the FIFA World Cup
in South Africa
, by manager Vicente del Bosque
. On the 29th, he made his full debut, replacing FC Barcelona
's Xavi
in the 81st minute of a 3–2 friendly
win against Saudi Arabia
, in Innsbruck
, Austria
. On 3 June he started in another friendly, with South Korea
(1–0 triumph, in the same venue), playing 80 minutes until David Silva
took his place.
Martínez played once in the final stages, replacing injured Xabi Alonso for the final 20 minutes of the group stage 2–1 win against Chile
, on 25 June, as Spain emerged victorious in the tournament. He returned to the under-21 setup for the 2011 European Championships
in Denmark
, captaining the national team to its third title in the category.
Spain U21
Spain U19
, is also a footballer, in the defender
position. Having played mainly in the lower leagues, he had a brief spell in the second division
, with SD Eibar
.
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
) is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays for Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, as a central midfielder.
Martínez also played for the Spanish national team
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
and was a member of the squad that won the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
Club career
Athletic de BilbaoAthletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
signed Martínez as a raw 17-year old for €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
6 million, in the summer of 2006, from fellow La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
team CA Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
, despite him never having played a first team game.
Martínez soon became a regular in the side in his debut season with powerful displays, his highlight being scoring twice against Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
, in a 16 December 2006 2–0 away success. He finished the campaign with 35 matches and three goals, and again was everpresent in the following two, helping Athletic to the 2009 Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
final
2009 Copa del Rey Final
The 2009 Copa del Rey Final was the 105th final of the Spanish cup competition, the Copa del Rey. The final was played at Mestalla in Valencia on 13 May 2009. The match was won by FC Barcelona, who beat Athletic Bilbao 4 – 1...
.
In the 2009 summer, Martínez was the subject of transfer speculation linking him to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, as a replacement for Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
-bound Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso
Xabier "Xabi" Alonso Olano is a Spanish World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Real Madrid as a midfielder.Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his home region Gipuzkoa. After a brief loan period at Eibar he returned to Sociedad where then manager John Toshack appointed...
, but rumors eventually died down. The midfield engine of the team once more - 46 official matches, nine goals - he scored a career-best six times in the league campaign
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
, as Athletic narrowly missed on another UEFA Europa League qualification.
In the 2011–12 season
2011–12 La Liga
The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012...
, under new manager Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera is an Argentine association football coach and former defender, born in Rosario, Santa Fe...
, Martínez began being regularly used as a central defender.
International career
At the age of 19, Martínez began appearing for Spain's U21Spain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
, representing the nation at the 2009 UEFA European Championships
2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship began on 15 June 2009, and was the 17th UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. This was the first tournament after the competition reverted to a two-year format, following the single-year 2006-07 competition, which allowed the change to...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, in a group stage exit.
On 20 May 2010, he was named in the senior side
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
's list of 23 for the FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, by manager Vicente del Bosque
Vicente Del Bosque
Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquis of Del Bosque is a former Spanish footballer He is currently the manager of the Spanish national football team. After taking over from Luis Aragonés who had led Spain to European success in Euro 2008, Del Bosque went on to manage the national team to the...
. On the 29th, he made his full debut, replacing FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
's Xavi
Xavi
Xavier Hernández i Creus , commonly known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi , is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, where he has spent his entire 14-year career....
in the 81st minute of a 3–2 friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
win against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
, in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. On 3 June he started in another friendly, with South Korea
Korea Republic national football team
The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...
(1–0 triumph, in the same venue), playing 80 minutes until David Silva
David Silva
David Josué Jiménez Silva is a Spanish footballer who plays for Manchester City and the Spanish national team. Silva is capable of playing on the wing, as a traditional number 10 and sometimes as a supporting striker...
took his place.
Martínez played once in the final stages, replacing injured Xabi Alonso for the final 20 minutes of the group stage 2–1 win against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
, on 25 June, as Spain emerged victorious in the tournament. He returned to the under-21 setup for the 2011 European Championships
2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA U-21 Championship 2011 was the 18th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Denmark between 11 and 25 June 2011....
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, captaining the national team to its third title in the category.
Club
Athletic Bilbao- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: Runner-up 2008–09 - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: Runner-up 20092009 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2009 Supercopa de España was two-legged Spanish football match-up played on 16 August and 23 August 2009. It was contested by Athletic Bilbao, the 2008–09 Copa del Rey runners-up, and FC Barcelona, the 2008–09 Primera División Winners....
Country
Spain- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: 20102010 FIFA World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
Spain U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipUEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipThe European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970...
: 20112011 UEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipUEFA U-21 Championship 2011 was the 18th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Denmark between 11 and 25 June 2011....
Spain U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Football ChampionshipUEFA European Under-19 Football ChampionshipThe European Under 19 Football Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. The competition has been held since 1948. It was originally called the FIFA junior tournament, until it was taken over by UEFA in 1955...
: 20072007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship-Group B:-------------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:---------Final:-----Teams:-Top goalscorers:-External links:* at uefa.com...
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe UEFA The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer.... |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Athletic Bilbao Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions... |
|||||||||
| 2006–07 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 36 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2007–08 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 36 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2008–09 | 32 | 5 | 9 | 1 | |||||
| 41 | 6 | ||||||||
| 2009–10 2009–10 La Liga - Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|... |
34 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 46 | 9 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 La Liga The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División... |
35 | 4 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 38 | 4 | ||||||||
| Total | 170 | 19 | 16 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 197 | 23 | |
Personal life
Martínez's older brother, ÁlvaroÁlvaro Martínez
Álvaro Martínez Aguinaga is a Spanish footballer who plays as a defender.-Football career:...
, is also a footballer, in the defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
position. Having played mainly in the lower leagues, he had a brief spell in the second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
, with SD Eibar
SD Eibar
Sociedad Deportiva Eibar, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team from Eibar, Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded on 30 November 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B....
.