Juan Manuel Martínez
Encyclopedia
Juan Manuel Martínez nicknamed el Burrito (in English "the Small Donkey"), is an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 football forward. He currently plays for Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...

 in the Argentine Primera División.

Club career

Martínez made his professional debut for Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...

 on October 1, 2003, in a 2–1 win over Talleres de Córdoba
Talleres de Córdoba
Club Atlético Talleres is a sports club from the city of Córdoba, Argentina, mostly known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the regionalised third division, the Torneo Argentino A...

, for the Clausura tournament. Later, he was part of the 2005 Clausura winning squad, playing 13 games and scoring 1 goal. The goal he scored was Vélez's first in that championship, in the fourth match day victory over Lanús
Club Atlético Lanús
Club Atlético Lanús is a sports club from Lanús, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Founded on 3 January 1915, the club's main sports are football and basketball. In both sports, Lanús plays in Argentina's top divisions: Primera División and Liga Nacional de Básquet...

 (2–1).

After his first period at Vélez, Martínez was loaned to Argentinos Juniors
Argentinos Juniors
Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine football club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. Founded on August 15, 1904, the club was originally called the “Martyrs of Chicago”, in homage to the eight anarchists imprisoned or hanged after the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago.-Early...

. With his new team, he played 10 games during the 2005 Apertura, suffering a knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...

 injury in the 11th fixture that left him out for almost the entire rest of the season. He returned for the last game of the 2006 Clausura, coming on as a substitute on a 1–0 victory over Colón.

In 2007, after a half-a-year period back at Vélez, Martínez was loaned to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n club Cúcuta Deportivo. With the team, he was part of the Copa Libertadores semifinalist campaign. Subsequently, he spent the 2007–08 season on loan at Al-Shabab Riyadh in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

.

Martínez returned to Vélez Sársfield for the 2008–09 Argentine Primera División season. Upon his return, he won the Argentine league for the second time, by being part of the 2009 Clausura squad. The forward played 9 games and scored 1 goal during the tournament (against Colón in a 4–2 away win, helping the team come back from a 0–2). He ended the tournament as a starter after replacing injured Jonathan Cristaldo
Jonathan Cristaldo
Jonathan Cristaldo , nicknamed "Churry", is an Argentine football striker who plays for FC Metalist Kharkiv in the Ukrainian Premier League.-Club career:...

 for the last two games, against Lanús
Club Atlético Lanús
Club Atlético Lanús is a sports club from Lanús, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Founded on 3 January 1915, the club's main sports are football and basketball. In both sports, Lanús plays in Argentina's top divisions: Primera División and Liga Nacional de Básquet...

 and Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán is a sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second level of the Argentine football league system. Huracán home stadium is the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó.Huracán was...

, which defined the championship.

The 2010 Apertura was Martínez' best season with Vélez. Up until that tournament, he had scored 6 goals in 91 league games for the club, and had never been a regular starter. However, in that Apertura he started in all 19 games, scoring 10 goals. He also achieved his first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...

 in Argentina, in Vélez' 6–0 victory over Colón in the 10th fixture. Moreover, his last goal of the championship, in the 2–0 away victory over Racing
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...

, was defined by various sources as "Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...

 styled". Martínez dribbled with the ball from behind the half-way line, passing 6 rival players in the process, to finally beat the opposing goalkeeper. His team finished the tournament as runner-up to Estudiantes de La Plata
Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata , simply referred to as Estudiantes, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its history....

.

Due to his performances throughout 2010, Martínez was selected by the Argentine Sports Journalists Circle as the best player of the Argentine league for that year, therefore sharing the Footballer of the Year of Argentina award with Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...

 (best Argentine playing abroad).

On January 2011, the striker renewed his contract with Vélez until June 2013.

International career

In November 2010, Martínez was called to take part in the Argentine national team
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

 that will solely consist of Argentine League players. They will train twice a week and have friendly matches leading up to the 2011 Copa América
2011 Copa América
The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América Argentina 2011, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America...

.

The striker received his first call-up by coach Sergio Batista
Sergio Batista
Sergio Daniel "Checho" Batista is an Argentine football manager and former footballer. He played as a midfielder, and represented his national team 39 times between 1985 and 1990. He was head coach of Argentina national football team from July 2010 to July 2011.-Club:Batista played youth football...

 on January 25, 2011, for a friendly match against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

. He was brought down in the penalty area during injury time to win a penalty for his side from which Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...

 scored the winner.

International appearances and goals


Statistics

Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...

2003–04 17 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 17 1
2004–05 20 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 20 1
Argentinos Juniors
Argentinos Juniors
Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine football club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. Founded on August 15, 1904, the club was originally called the “Martyrs of Chicago”, in homage to the eight anarchists imprisoned or hanged after the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago.-Early...

 (loan)
2005–06 11 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 11 1
Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...

2006–07 3 0
0 0 0 ? 0
6 0
Cúcuta
Cúcuta Deportivo
Corporación Nuevo Cúcuta Deportivo is a football club based in the city of Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, Colombia. The club was officially founded on September 10, 1924 and plays its home games at the General Santander Stadium, which has a capacity of 45,000....

 (loan)
2007 9 2
0 0 0 11 4
20 6
Al-Shabab (loan) 2007–08 15 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 15 3
Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...

2007–08 24 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 24 3
2008–09 22 2
0 0 0 11 1
33 3
2010–11
2010–11 Argentine Primera División season
The 2010–11 Primera División season was the eighty-second season of top-flight professional football in Argentina. A total of 20 teams competed in two championships —the Apertura and Clausura— over the course of the season, which started on August 6, 2010 and ended on June 30, 2011, one...

37 13
0 0 0 12 3
49 16
Career total 158 26 - 0 0 0 34 8 - 195 34 -

Club

Vélez Sársfield
  • Argentine Primera División (3): 2005 Clausura, 2009 Clausura, 2011 Clausura

External links

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