Cuco Martina facts for kids
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Martina playing for Southampton in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 25 September 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Rotterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.85 m | ||
| Playing position | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Feyenoord | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2011 | RBC Roosendaal | 68 | (2) |
| 2011–2013 | RKC Waalwijk | 43 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Jong Twente | 11 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Twente | 48 | (1) |
| 2015–2017 | Southampton | 24 | (1) |
| 2017–2020 | Everton | 21 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Stoke City (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Feyenoord (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Go Ahead Eagles | 11 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | NAC Breda | 47 | (4) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | Curaçao | 65 | (1) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Rhu-endly Aurelio Jean-Carlo Martina (born 25 September 1989), known as Cuco Martina, is a professional footballer. He plays for the Curaçao national team. Cuco mainly plays as a right-back. He can also play as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder.
Cuco Martina started his youth career at Feyenoord in the Netherlands. He then played for several Dutch clubs like RBC Roosendaal, RKC Waalwijk, and FC Twente. In 2015, he moved to England to play for Premier League club Southampton. Two years later, he joined Everton.
Cuco was born and grew up in the Netherlands. He plays for the Curaçao team and is their captain. He first played for Curaçao in 2011. He helped his team win the 2017 Caribbean Cup. He also played for Curaçao in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017 and 2019.
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About Cuco Martina
Cuco Martina was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He grew up in the southern part of the city. He lived with his mother, brothers, and sister. Cuco's older brother was like a father figure to him. His brother, Javier, is also a footballer.
Cuco's Club Journey
Playing in the Netherlands
Cuco Martina started playing football in the youth teams of Feyenoord. His first professional club was RBC Roosendaal in the Eerste Divisie. In 2009, he signed his first official contract with them. He stayed with the club until 2011.
In 2011, Cuco joined RKC Waalwijk, a team in the Eredivisie. He played 59 games for them over two seasons. He scored his first goal for RKC Waalwijk in a 2–0 win against N.E.C. in December 2012.
On 30 July 2013, Cuco moved to FC Twente. He signed a three-year deal with them. He played 59 matches for FC Twente. He scored one goal for them in February 2014. It was a late goal that made the score 2–2 against Feyenoord.
Moving to England: Southampton
Cuco Martina joined the English club Southampton on 7 July 2015. He signed a two-year contract. He made his first appearance for Southampton in a UEFA Europa League game. This was against Vitesse Arnhem on 6 August. He played the whole game, and Southampton won 2–0.
A few days later, he played his first league game. This was against Newcastle United. Cuco became the first player from Curaçao to play for Southampton. He was also the second Curaçao player in the Premier League.
On 26 December 2015, Cuco scored his only goal for Southampton. It was a great long-range shot against Arsenal. Southampton won that game 4–0. This made him the first Curaçaoan to score in the Premier League. He left Southampton at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Playing for Everton
On 17 July 2017, Cuco Martina joined another Premier League team, Everton. He signed a three-year deal. At Everton, he reunited with his old manager, Ronald Koeman. Cuco played his first league game for Everton on 12 August. Everton won 1–0 against Stoke City.
In the 2018–19 season, Cuco went on loan to Stoke City. They had just moved down to the EFL Championship. He played his first game for Stoke on 25 August. It was a 2–0 win against Hull City.
Cuco's loan at Stoke ended in January 2019. He then went on loan to Feyenoord for the rest of that season. He left Everton when his contract ended on 30 June 2020.
Back to the Netherlands
In November 2021, Cuco Martina signed with Go Ahead Eagles. In January 2023, he joined NAC Breda.
Cuco's International Career
Cuco Martina played his first international game for Curaçao on 9 August 2011. This was the first game for Curaçao after the Netherlands Antilles team was no longer active. He played in a friendly match against the Dominican Republic. He has also played in games to qualify for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. He is the captain of the national team.
Cuco was part of the Curaçao team that won the 2017 Caribbean Cup. They won by beating Jamaica 2–1 in the final. He was also the captain for the team at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On 10 September 2018, he scored his first goal for Curaçao. It was in a big 10–0 win against Grenada.
At the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Cuco was again the captain. He played in every game. His team reached the quarter-finals. They lost 1–0 to the United States in Philadelphia.
Honours and Awards
Curaçao
- Caribbean Cup: 2017
- King's Cup: 2019
Individual
- CONCACAF Best XI: 2018
See also
In Spanish: Cuco Martina para niños
