Martin Demichelis
Encyclopedia
Martín Gastón Demichelis (maɾˈtin demiˈt͡ʃelis; born 20 December 1980) is an Argentine
footballer who plays for Málaga CF
in Spain
, mainly as a central defender - he can operate as a defensive midfielder on occasion.
A tough-tackler, Demichelis spent most of his professional career with Bayern Munich
in Germany
(seven and a half years), winning 11 major titles with the team. He also competed in his country - with River Plate
- and Spain
.
-based Club Atlético River Plate
, having arrived at the club's youth system three years earlier.
He made his first-team - and first division - debut on 2 September 2001, in a game against Estudiantes de La Plata
, scoring his only goal for the team against Rosario Central
.
in the 2003 summer, for €
4.5 millions. His first season in the Bundesliga
was not very positive, as he suffered a number of minor injuries, appearing in only 14 league games (21 in total) as the Bavaria
ns finished in second position.
Under new coach Felix Magath
, Demichelis became a regular starter for Bayern, appearing in 75 official matches in two seasons combined as the team won back-to-back doubles, achieving a total of four during his spell.
New Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld
successfully reconverted Demichelis from a defensive midfielder into a central defender. In 2008–09, he netted a career-best four goals in 29 games, but the title was lost to VfL Wolfsburg
. However, the player often clashed with the new manager Louis van Gaal
, starting immediately after the first matchday after being dropped from the starting XI for the 2010–11
opener, against Wolfsburg, with Demichelis requesting that van Gaal omit him from the squad altogether, which the coach did. The player thereafter voiced to the press that it would be probable that he and the club went separate ways.
On 29 October 2010, benefitting from a run of injuries in the squad, Demichelis made one of his last appearances for Bayern, heading home in a 4–2 home win against SC Freiburg
.
club Málaga CF
, initially until the end of the 2010–11 season
, with the Andalusia
ns retaining the option to extend the contract for a further two seasons. He rejoined former River Plate manager Manuel Pellegrini
, and made his La Liga
debut on 8 January 2011, scoring in a 1–1 home draw against Athletic Bilbao
.
During his first four months with Málaga, Demichelis was sent off
twice, but also started in all the matches he was available, being essential - as another January 2011 signee, Júlio Baptista
- as the club eventually avoided relegation.
in 2005. Also in that year
, he was selected by national team manager José Pekerman
to the FIFA Confederations Cup
, but did not leave the bench during the tournament.
On 11 September 2007, Demichelis scored his first international goal in a friendly match
against Australia, his header being the game's only goal. On 3 March 2010, he suffered a facial
injury during an exhibition game with Germany
, being sidelined for three weeks, but being nonetheless summoned for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
.
Under Diego Maradona
, Demichelis played all the games for Argentina at the World Cup in South Africa
, partnering Nicolás Burdisso
in central defense in an eventual quarterfinal exit. On 22 June 2010, he scored the first goal of the 2–0 group stage win against Greece
.
|1||11 September 2007||MCG
, Melbourne
, Australia||||1–0||1–0||Friendly
|-
|2||22 June 2010||Peter Mokaba Stadium
, Polokwane
, South Africa||||1–0||2–0||2010 FIFA World Cup
|}
Bayern Munich
Statistics accurate as of 1 October 2011
passport
. He married model
Evangelina Anderson in late 2007, and the couple's child, Martín Bastian, was born in Munich
on 3 May 2009.
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...
footballer who plays for Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
in Spain
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...
, mainly as a central defender - he can operate as a defensive midfielder on occasion.
A tough-tackler, Demichelis spent most of his professional career with Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(seven and a half years), winning 11 major titles with the team. He also competed in his country - with River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
- and Spain
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...
.
River Plate
Born in Justiniano Posse, Córdoba, Demichelis started playing professionally in 2001, with Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
-based Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
, having arrived at the club's youth system three years earlier.
He made his first-team - and first division - debut on 2 September 2001, in a game against 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....
, scoring his only goal for the team against Rosario Central
Rosario Central
Club Atlético Rosario Central is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina. Its football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second tier of the Argentine football league system, after being relegated in the 2009-10 season....
.
Bayern Munich
Demichelis signed for FC Bayern MunichFC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
in the 2003 summer, 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,...
4.5 millions. His first season in the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
was not very positive, as he suffered a number of minor injuries, appearing in only 14 league games (21 in total) as the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
ns finished in second position.
Under new coach Felix Magath
Felix Magath
Wolfgang-Felix Magath is a former German football central midfielder and current manager of VfL Wolfsburg.-Playing career:...
, Demichelis became a regular starter for Bayern, appearing in 75 official matches in two seasons combined as the team won back-to-back doubles, achieving a total of four during his spell.
New Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld is a German former football player and manager, nicknamed der General ....
successfully reconverted Demichelis from a defensive midfielder into a central defender. In 2008–09, he netted a career-best four goals in 29 games, but the title was lost to VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
. However, the player often clashed with the new manager Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
, starting immediately after the first matchday after being dropped from the starting XI for the 2010–11
2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga
The 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 48th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on the weekend of 21 August 2010 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions and ended with the last games on 14 May 2011. The winter...
opener, against Wolfsburg, with Demichelis requesting that van Gaal omit him from the squad altogether, which the coach did. The player thereafter voiced to the press that it would be probable that he and the club went separate ways.
On 29 October 2010, benefitting from a run of injuries in the squad, Demichelis made one of his last appearances for Bayern, heading home in a 4–2 home win against SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...
.
Málaga
In late December 2010, Demichelis agreed a deal with SpanishSpain
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...
club Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
, initially until the end of the 2010–11 season
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...
, with the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
ns retaining the option to extend the contract for a further two seasons. He rejoined former River Plate manager Manuel Pellegrini
Manuel Pellegrini
Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti is a Chilean manager and former footballer. His current club is La Liga side Málaga CF.-Club career:...
, and made his 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...
debut on 8 January 2011, scoring in a 1–1 home draw against 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...
.
During his first four months with Málaga, Demichelis was sent off
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
twice, but also started in all the matches he was available, being essential - as another January 2011 signee, Júlio Baptista
Júlio Baptista
Júlio César Baptista is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Málaga CF of the Spanish La Liga...
- as the club eventually avoided relegation.
International career
Demichelis made his debut for ArgentinaArgentina 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...
in 2005. Also in that year
2005 FIFA Confederations Cup
-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place playoff:-Final:-Awards:-Goal scorers:5 goals Adriano4 goals Luciano Figueroa John Aloisi Michael Ballack...
, he was selected by national team manager José Pekerman
José Pekerman
José Néstor Pékerman is an Argentine football coach and an ex-football player. He become famous as a youth level coach for Argentina, winning the FIFA World Youth Championship three times, and the U-20 South American Youth Championship twice...
to the FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
, but did not leave the bench during the tournament.
On 11 September 2007, Demichelis scored his first international goal in a friendly match
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...
against Australia, his header being the game's only goal. On 3 March 2010, he suffered a facial
Face
The face is a central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head, and can, depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyelashes, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, temple, teeth, skin, and...
injury during an exhibition game with Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, being sidelined for three weeks, but being nonetheless summoned for the 2010 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...
.
Under Diego 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...
, Demichelis played all the games for Argentina at the World Cup 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...
, partnering Nicolás Burdisso
Nicolás Burdisso
Nicolás Andrés Burdisso is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central or right defender for A.S. Roma. He also holds European Union nationality.-Boca Juniors:...
in central defense in an eventual quarterfinal exit. On 22 June 2010, he scored the first goal of the 2–0 group stage win against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
.
International goals
|-|1||11 September 2007||MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia||||1–0||1–0||Friendly
|-
|2||22 June 2010||Peter Mokaba Stadium
Peter Mokaba Stadium
The Peter Mokaba Stadium is a football stadium in Polokwane , South Africa, that was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity of 41,733. and was named after Peter Mokaba, a former leader of the ANC Youth League...
, Polokwane
Polokwane
Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety",is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name, Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population...
, South Africa||||1–0||2–0||2010 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...
|}
Club
River Plate- Argentine Primera División: 2001–02, 2002–03
Bayern Munich
- BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–102009–10 Fußball-BundesligaThe 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 47th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The last games were played on 8 May 2010... - DFB-PokalDFB-PokalThe DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–102009–10 DFB-PokalThe 2009–10 DFB-Pokal is the sixty-seventh season of the annual German football cup competition. It commenced on the weekend around 1 August 2009 with the matches of Round 1 and ended on 15 May 2010 with the final which is traditionally held at Olympic Stadium in Berlin... - DFB-LigapokalDFB-LigapokalThe DFB-Ligapokal, or German League Cup, was a German football competition that took place before the start of the Bundesliga season, featuring the top five teams of the previous Fußball-Bundesliga season and the winners of the DFB-Pokal in Germany...
: 2004, 2007 - DFL-Supercup: 20102010 DFL-SupercupThe 2010 DFL-Supercup marked the return of the German Supercup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal competitions. The competition had not been played in an official capacity since 1996, and was replaced by the DFB Liga-Pokal from 1997...
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: Runner-up 2009–10
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football.... |
2001–02 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ? | ? |
| 2002–03 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ? | ? | |
| Total | 51 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 1 | |
| Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups.... |
2003–04 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| 2004–05 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 39 | 3 | |
| 2006–07 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| 2007–08 | 28 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 40 | 4 | |
| 2009–10 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga The 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 47th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The last games were played on 8 May 2010... |
21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga The 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 48th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on the weekend of 21 August 2010 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions and ended with the last games on 14 May 2011. The winter... |
6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 174 | 13 | 24 | 0 | 47 | 2 | 245 | 15 | |
| Málaga Málaga CF Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares... |
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... |
18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| 2011–12 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... |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | |
| Career total | 249 | 15 | 24 | 0 | 47 | 2 | 320 | 17 | |
Statistics accurate as of 1 October 2011
Personal
Demichelis also holds an ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
. He married model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
Evangelina Anderson in late 2007, and the couple's child, Martín Bastian, was born in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
on 3 May 2009.