After nine years at Munich, Xavi Martinez will bid farewell to Bayern this summer. From breaking Bayern's all-time transfer record, to winning the Treble twice, to becoming the first Spanish player in the club's history to wear the captain's armband, Martinez has left many unforgettable memories in his Bayern career. Although we did not become a member of the "Bayern Decade Club", we may wish to recall these classic moments in memory.
1. Value record
When Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga title in 2012, then Bayern coach Heynckes proposed his own transfer plan: bringing in Atlético Bilbao's centre-back Xavi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao runner-up in the Europa League that season, Martinez switched to central defender under Bielsa). It was a very firm signing from Heynckes, even though not every Munich and Bayern fan knew what he was capable of at the time. After a full summer of entanglement, Bayern finally brought in Javi Martinez for 40 million euros, subject to the resolute attitude of Athletic Bilbao, which was subject to the national policy, and the transfer finally took shape because Martinez paid for itself and took 2 million euros per season.
Heynckes recalled the transfer: "When we decided to sign him, no one knew who he was and Franz Beckenbauer thought he was the name of a coffee. As a Bayern transfer record player, not well known in Munich, but he was already a member of Spain's 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. When the conference debuted, this big boy with a big smile was about to take on a new challenge, in the big team, with the most demanding fans.
As a defensive midfielder, Xavi Martinez has shown his top strength at Bayern, using him as a midfield barrier to form a protection, and Bayern has launched the most powerful impact. Bayern conceded just 22 goals in 2011/12 and recorded an all-time low of 18 in 2012/13. Heynckes said: "Martinez is a reliable player who can stand the hard work and always keeps his place. Know that standing in your place means that a back is not vulnerable defensively. Martinez is a very defensively minded player, also good at possession, has his own threat in attack, and has a strong ability to tackle. ”
2. The final puzzle from Sanya to the Three Crowns
In that memorable debut, what Heynckes said proved correct. Bayern missed the Bundesliga title for two consecutive years, and Borussia Dortmund set a new record of 81 points in 2012.
In a 6-1 win over Stuttgart, Harvey Martinez made his debut in the 77th minute and gave Kroos an assist. This match also happened to be The 24th birthday of Xavi Martinez. The addition of Xavi Martinez also made the original main back Luis Gustavo inspire the strongest combat strength, and a healthy competition in the team allowed Bayern to quickly get out of the shadow of the "Sanya King". By early November 2012, Xavi Martinez had gradually replaced Gustavo as the main force. In his first season, Xavi Martinez made 27 league appearances, helping Bayern set a record for a record 91-point title.
In addition, Harvey Martinez also participated in 5 of the 6 German Cups, helping the team to a 3-2 victory over Stuttgart in the German Cup final, 11 appearances in the Champions League, and in the final at Wembley, he proved heynckes' reasons for insisting on signing him, and finally lifted the Champions League trophy with his teammates and became the new "Treble" team.
'Borussia Dortmund were the better team at the start of the final. Heynckes said: "But then Xavi won 3 or 4 tackles and then Bayern's system started working properly. But Harvey is a very important player in our system. ”
3. From the back to the centre-back
Heynckes retired after his peak, his successor Guardiola became Bayern's new navigator, and the situation began to change for Xavi Martinez.
As Guardiola aspires to make it most comfortable for players to play in every area of the stadium, Xavi Martinez has more often played as a centre-back under the Spanish compatriot. Although the role of centre-back is no stranger to Xavi Martinez, Guardiola is not his mentor Marcelo Bielsa, playing as a centre-back at Athletic Bilbao, Xavi Martinez is often like a free agent, but under Guardiola, the centre-back is the traditional position of center-back, which has become his regular position. As a result of injuries, Xavi Martinez has only played 38 Bundesliga games under Guardiola, 22 of them as a centre-back.
Xavi Martinez was a key member of Bayern's 2013 treble, and under Pep Guardiola, his best memories may only belong to the very beginning, when he beat Chelsea in the 2013 European Super Cup. In 2013, Xavi Martinez told Sport1: "We did a lot of work tactically and he (Guardiola) showed me 200 videos and taught me a lot from them. The way he taught me to play centre-back was very different from what I had learned under Bielsa before, and Guardiola wanted me to do more one-on-one defense with people. ”
Guardiola left three years later, leaving many regrets. Martinez has also changed from a 24-year-old green onion boy to a 28-year-old scruffy look. Ancelotti was the only three-time Champions League-winning manager in the world at the time, and as an Italian who valued defense, he still placed Xavi Martinez in the center-back position after his arrival. It wasn't until Heynckes returned to Bayern in 2017/18 that this controversial matter among the fan base received a positive answer. Heynckes said: "My predecessor was right to put him in the centre-back position because he was a defensive player who could play at centre-back. ”
4. The best 100-game result in the History of the Bundesliga
All defensive backs have to face a problem, that is, the bottleneck of professional life, because the back is engaged in the dirtiest and most tired work on the field, so countless top backs like Harvey Martinez in the history of football are inevitably in a sharp decline in state after the age of 30, and the ability is judged to be two. In Guardiola's three seasons, Xavi Martinez has been plagued by injuries, with groin surgery, cruciate ligament tears, knee surgery and various muscle problems robbing him of too many opportunities to play.
Although Heynckes would arrange for him to return to the back position from time to time, the imprint of fatigue accumulating on Harvey Martinez became more and more obvious. Despite this, Xavi Martinez is still sparing no effort to contribute to Bayern. On 21 January 2018, Bayern beat Werder Bremen 4–2, with Javi Martinez setting a new Bundesliga record: it was his 100th Bundesliga game and his 85th victory, making him the player with the highest 100-game win percentage in Bundesliga history.
On this day, he seemed particularly happy.
5. Consecutive championship records and bridges
After Heynckes left, Harvey Martinez returned to the bench and the successor manager did not trust him. On 7 October 2019, Bayern lost to Hoffenheim. It was also the birthday of Harvey Martinez's son. Unable to play, the iron man couldn't help but shed tears, allowing us to see the most tender side of his heart, and the assistant coach who sat next to him and comforted him was Frick, who then led Bayern to win the six-crown title.
The weeping Harvey Martinez did not give up, and in the following month he became the life preserver of the then-head coach until Frick took over. What happened in the following seasons does not need to be repeated, and the final puzzle of Bayern's former "treble" has successfully lifted the Bundesliga salad plate every season since he joined Bayern. In the history of the Bundesliga, only Thomas Müller, Ribery, Alaba have won more Bundesliga titles than him. But in this round of the league, Xavi Martinez also managed to secure his ninth Bundesliga salad set. If I add 5 German Cups, 3 German Super Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 UEFA Super Cups and two Club World Cups, then I can see his achievements more clearly.
The 2020 European Super Cup, this time with the elimination of Xavi Martinez, this moment made all fans' minds return to the summer of 2013.
It can even be said that Xavi Martinez is the guide for Spanish players in the Bundesliga. Before he joined Bayern, there were only 11 Spaniards in the Bundesliga, or veterans like Raul, or some small roles that are not famous. After Xavi Martinez, 37 Spaniards became followers, including, of course, Guardiola. At Bayern alone, there are Thiago, Xavi Alonso, Bernat, Rena, Odriozola and Marc Rocca.
The iron waist that has entered the annals of Bayern Munich is the final puzzle for Bayern from the trough of the "Sanya King" that everyone laughs at to the completion of the treble, and it is also the bridge between Bayern and the Spaniards. Because of this sincere feeling, when the goodbye is coming, we can't say goodbye!