Gilberto Martínez facts for kids
 |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gilberto Martínez Vidal | ||
| Date of birth | October 1, 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Golfito, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.74 m | ||
| Playing position | Right back, centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Audace Cerignola | ||
| Number | — | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Saprissa | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2002 | Saprissa | 68 | (0) |
| 2002–2012 | Brescia | 218 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | → Roma (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Sampdoria (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Lecce | 55 | (0) |
| 2015 | Monza | 15 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Nardò | ||
| 2016–2018 | Audace Cerignola | ||
| National team | |||
| 2001–2011 | Costa Rica | 61 | (0) |
|
|||
Gilberto Martínez Vidal (born October 1, 1979) is a former professional footballer from Costa Rica. He played as a defender and was known for his strong play. He spent most of his career playing for clubs in Italy and also represented his home country in major international tournaments.
Contents
Club Career
Playing for Deportivo Saprissa
Gilberto Martínez was born in Golfito, a town on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. He started his professional football journey with Deportivo Saprissa on January 19, 2000. In his first game, his team won 4–0. His great playing in the local league and in the Football World Youth Championship (a big tournament for young players) quickly helped him get a spot on the Costa Rica national football team. Fans loved him, and he became a very important player. He played in all three of Costa Rica's games at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and people noticed his excellent skills.
Moving to Italy: Brescia Calcio
Because of his strong performances at the World Cup, an Italian club called Brescia bought him from Deportivo Saprissa in September 2002. In his first few years with Brescia, Martínez became a key player in their defense. He was a regular starter and helped protect their goal.
However, he got an ankle injury during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This injury caused him problems in the seasons that followed. He spent the whole 2006–07 season on loan to Roma, another big Italian club. But he couldn't play much because he was still recovering from his injury. He returned to Brescia for the 2007–08 season without having played any games for Roma.
He finally made his comeback in the 2008–09 season. He proved again that he was a vital player for Brescia, which was then playing in Serie B (the second-highest football league in Italy). In February 2011, he was loaned to Sampdoria. Later, in January 2013, Martínez joined Lecce, another Italian club. He also played for Monza and Nardò before finishing his career with Audace Cerignola.
International Career
Gilberto Martínez, often called Tuma, also had a successful career playing for his country. He was part of Costa Rica's national team in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship held in Nigeria.
He made his debut for the Costa Rica in January 2001 during a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Guatemala. He played a total of 61 games for his country, though he didn't score any goals. Playing 61 games for a national team is a big achievement!
He represented Costa Rica in 26 World Cup qualification matches. He also played in two FIFA World Cups: the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. These are the biggest football tournaments in the world. Besides the World Cup, he also played in other important tournaments like the 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup, the 2002 and 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cups, and the 2001 Copa América. His last game for Costa Rica was a friendly match against Argentina in March 2011.
