Cuco Martina facts for kids
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Martina playing for Southampton in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rhu-endly Aurelio Jean-Carlo Martina | ||
| Date of birth | 25 September 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Rotterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-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 | 57 | (4) |
| 2025– | Victory Boys | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011– | Curaçao | 67 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:24, 17 June 2025 (UTC) |
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Cuco Martina, whose full name is Rhu-endly Aurelio Jean-Carlo Martina, is a professional football player. He was born on September 25, 1989. Cuco plays for the Curaçao Promé Divishon club Victory Boys. He also plays for the Curaçao national team. Cuco is mainly a centre-back (a defender), but he can also play as a right-back or a defensive midfielder.
Cuco started playing football at a young age with Feyenoord. He then began his professional career with RBC Roosendaal in the Netherlands. After that, he played for RKC Waalwijk and FC Twente. In 2015, he moved to England to play for Premier League clubs Southampton and Everton.
Cuco Martina was born and grew up in the Netherlands. He plays for the Curaçao national team. He first played for Curaçao in 2011. He helped his team win the 2017 Caribbean Cup. He also played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017, 2019, and 2025. Cuco Martina has played more games for Curaçao than any other player.
Contents
Early Life
Cuco Martina was born in Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands. He grew up in the southern part of the city with his mother, brothers, and sister. Cuco did not know his father. He has said that his older brother was like a father figure to him. Cuco's brother, Javier, is also a football player.
Club Career
Playing in the Netherlands
Cuco Martina played youth football for Feyenoord. He started his senior career with RBC Roosendaal in the Eerste Divisie. In 2009, he signed his first professional contract with the club. He stayed there until 2011.
In 2011, he joined RKC Waalwijk, a club in the Eredivisie. He played 59 official matches 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 July 30, 2013, Cuco Martina moved to FC Twente. He signed a three-year contract. He played 59 games for FC Twente and scored one goal. This goal was an equalizer in a 2–2 draw against Feyenoord in February 2014.
Playing in England
Cuco Martina signed a two-year contract with the English club Southampton on July 7, 2015. He made his debut for Southampton in a UEFA Europa League match against Vitesse Arnhem in August. He played the whole game, which Southampton won 2–0. A few days later, he played his first league game against Newcastle United.
Cuco Martina was the first player from Curaçao to play for Southampton. He was also the second player from Curaçao to play in the Premier League. On December 26, 2015, he scored his only goal for Southampton. It was a long-range shot in a 4–0 win against Arsenal. This made him the first player from Curaçao to score in the Premier League. He left Southampton at the end of the 2016–17 season.
On July 17, 2017, Cuco Martina joined another Premier League team, Everton. He signed a three-year deal and reunited with his former manager, Ronald Koeman. He made his league debut for Everton in August, when they beat Stoke City 1–0.
In the 2018–19 season, Martina went on loan to Stoke City, who had just moved down to the EFL Championship. He played his first game for Stoke on August 25, 2018, in a 2–0 win against Hull City. His loan with Stoke ended in January 2019. He then joined Feyenoord on loan for the rest of that season. Cuco Martina left Everton when his contract ended on June 30, 2020.
Return to the Netherlands
In November 2021, Cuco Martina signed with Go Ahead Eagles in the Netherlands. In January 2023, he joined NAC Breda.
Playing in Curaçao
On May 9, 2025, Cuco Martina signed with SV Victory Boys, a football club in Curaçao.
International Career
Cuco Martina played his first international game for Curaçao on August 9, 2011. This was the team's first match after the Netherlands Antilles team was dissolved. He played in a friendly game against the Dominican Republic. He has also played in qualifying matches for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. He has served as the captain of the national team.
Martina was part of the Curaçao team that won the 2017 Caribbean Cup in Martinique. They beat Jamaica 2–1 in the final. He was the team captain at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On September 10, 2018, he scored his first international goal. It was in a 10–0 home win against Grenada.
At the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Cuco Martina was again the captain. He played in every game until Curaçao lost 1–0 to the United States in the quarter-finals.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| RBC Roosendaal | 2008–09 | Eerste Divisie | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Eerste Divisie | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2010–11 | Eerste Divisie | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 1 | |||
| Total | 69 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 70 | 2 | ||||
| RKC Waalwijk | 2011–12 | Eredivisie | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Eredivisie | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| Total | 57 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 59 | 1 | ||||
| Jong FC Twente | 2013–14 | Eerste Divisie | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| FC Twente | 2013–14 | Eredivisie | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Eredivisie | 32 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
| Total | 48 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 56 | 1 | |||
| Southampton | 2015–16 | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 36 | 1 | ||
| Everton | 2017–18 | Premier League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Stoke City (loan) | 2018–19 | Championship | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |
| Feyenoord (loan) | 2018–19 | Eredivisie | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Go Ahead Eagles | 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 0 | ||
| NAC Breda | 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 1 | |||
| Total | 57 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 4 | ||
| Victory Boys | 2025 | Curaçao Promé Divishon | – | 4 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 324 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 385 | 9 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curaçao | 2011 | 9 | 0 |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 67 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Curaçao's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 September 2018 | Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad, Curaçao |  Grenada |
2–0 | 10–0 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League qualifying |
Awards and Achievements
Curaçao
- Caribbean Cup: 2017
- King's Cup: 2019
Individual
- CONCACAF Best XI: 2018
See also
In Spanish: Cuco Martina para niños
