Josef Martínez facts for kids
Martínez with Atlanta United in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 May 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela | ||
| Height | 1.72 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2010 | Caracas | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2010–2012 | Caracas | 36 | (8) |
| 2012–2014 | Young Boys | 37 | (4) |
| 2013–2014 | → Thun (loan) | 18 | (8) |
| 2014–2017 | Torino | 58 | (7) |
| 2017 | → Atlanta United (loan) | 3 | (5) |
| 2017–2022 | Atlanta United | 131 | (93) |
| 2023 | Inter Miami | 27 | (7) |
| 2024 | CF Montréal | 23 | (11) |
| 2025– | San Jose Earthquakes | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011–2013 | Venezuela U20 | 4 | (2) |
| 2011– | Venezuela | 66 | (14) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Josef Alexander Martínez Mencia (born May 19, 1993) is a professional footballer from Venezuela. He plays as a striker for the Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes. He also plays for the Venezuela national team.
Josef Martínez started his career with Caracas in Venezuela. In 2012, he moved to Europe to play for Young Boys in Switzerland. He also played for Thun and Torino in Italy. In 2017, he joined Atlanta United in Major League Soccer (MLS). Later, he played for Inter Miami and CF Montréal.
Martínez holds several MLS records. He has the most career hat-tricks (scoring three goals in one game) with six. He also set records for goals in a single season and for scoring in many games in a row. He reached 100 goals in MLS faster than any other player. In 2018, he won many top awards, including the League MVP and MLS Cup Final MVP. He has also played for Venezuela's national team in three Copa América tournaments.
Club Career
Early Career in Venezuela and Switzerland
Martínez began his professional journey with Caracas in Venezuela. He made his first appearance on August 21, 2010. He scored his first goal for the club on November 21, 2010.
In January 2012, Martínez moved to Europe. He joined Young Boys in the Swiss Super League. He played his first game for them on February 5, 2012. He scored his first goal for Young Boys on October 21, 2012.
Loan to FC Thun
After one season, Martínez was loaned to Thun. He played very well there, scoring eight goals in 18 games. This made him one of the top scorers in the Swiss league at the time. His good performance led Young Boys to call him back.
Playing in Italy: Torino
On June 7, 2014, Martínez was sold to Torino, an Italian club in Serie A. He made his debut in a Europa League match. He scored his first goal for Torino in the return leg of that competition.
He played his first league game on September 14, 2014. On December 7, he scored his first goal in Serie A. A few days later, he scored two goals in a Europa League game against Copenhagen. On April 30, 2016, he scored two goals in a Serie A match against Udinese.
Becoming an MLS Star: Atlanta United
On February 2, 2017, Martínez joined Atlanta United in the Major League Soccer. He played his first MLS game on March 5. The very next week, he scored his first hat-trick for the club. This was also the first hat-trick in Atlanta United's history.
Atlanta United bought him permanently in March 2017. He was named MLS Player of the Month for March. This was because he scored five goals in his first three games.
Injury and Comeback
In March 2017, Martínez got injured while playing for Venezuela. He hurt his left quadricep muscle. He returned to play after two months but got injured again. When he came back, he scored hat-tricks in two games in a row. He was named MLS Player of the Month again for September 2017.
Despite his injuries, Martínez scored 20 goals in his first year. He was named to the MLS Best XI team for 2017.
Record-Breaking Seasons
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On June 2, 2018, Martínez scored his fifth MLS hat-trick. This tied the league record for hat-tricks. He broke this record on July 21, 2018, after playing only 44 games.
He was voted MLS Player of the Month for July 2018. He scored ten goals that month. He also scored the only goal for the MLS All-Stars against Juventus. He was named the MVP of that game.
On August 24, 2018, he scored his 28th goal of the season. This broke the league's single-season goal record. He was named MLS Player of the Month for August 2018. Atlanta United won the MLS Cup that season.
In 2019, Martínez continued his amazing performance. He scored in nine straight matches, tying his own MLS record. On August 23, he set a new MLS record by scoring in 12 consecutive games. He extended this record to 15 consecutive games later that year.
Injury in 2020
On February 29, 2020, Martínez suffered a serious injury. He tore his ACL in his knee. This meant he missed the entire 2020 season.
Return to Play
Martínez returned to play on April 6, 2021. He scored his first goal of the 2021 season on May 9. In July 2021, there was a brief period where he trained away from the team. He returned to play on July 21.
He scored important goals for Atlanta United in July and August 2021. He also received a red card in one game. He scored the winning goal in a game against Los Angeles FC on August 15.
In 2022, Martínez scored his first goal of the season on March 13. After another knee surgery, he started his first game since April. He scored a goal and helped set up another. At the end of the 2022 season, Martínez left Atlanta United after six years.
Moving to Inter Miami
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On January 18, 2023, Martínez joined Inter Miami. He made his debut for the team on February 25, 2023.
In August 2023, Inter Miami won the 2023 Leagues Cup. Martínez scored three goals in this competition. Inter Miami also reached the 2023 U.S. Open Cup final, where they lost. Martínez scored their only goal in that final.
After one season, Inter Miami confirmed that Martínez would leave the club.
Joining CF Montréal
On February 6, 2024, CF Montréal announced they had signed Martínez. He joined them as a free agent. He scored 13 goals and made 3 assists for the team.
Future with San Jose Earthquakes
On January 13, 2025, Martínez joined San Jose Earthquakes. He signed a one-year deal with the club. He is expected to be a very important player for their attack.
International Career
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Martínez made his first appearance for the Venezuela national team on August 7, 2011.
On November 10, 2016, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Bolivia. This happened in a 5–0 win during a World Cup qualification match. He has represented Venezuela in three Copa América tournaments.
How He Plays
Josef Martínez is known for being an aggressive and powerful player. He usually plays as a main striker in the center of the field. However, he can also play as a winger.
He is very fast and good at dribbling the ball. He has a great eye for goal and can finish accurately with both feet and his head. He is also good at making runs without the ball to get into good scoring positions. All these skills make him a very dangerous player in the penalty area.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Caracas | 2010–11 | Venezuelan Primera División | 21 | 4 | — | 7 | 1 | — | 28 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12 | 15 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 36 | 8 | — | 7 | 1 | — | 43 | 9 | ||||
| Young Boys | 2011–12 | Swiss Super League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 4 | ||||
| Thun | 2013–14 | Swiss Super League | 18 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1 | — | 32 | 10 | |
| Torino | 2014–15 | Serie A | 26 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | — | 40 | 7 | |
| 2015–16 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 23 | 4 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 58 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 3 | — | 75 | 13 | |||
| Atlanta United | 2017 | MLS | 20 | 19 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 22 | 20 | |
| 2018 | 34 | 31 | — | — | 5 | 4 | 39 | 35 | ||||
| 2019 | 29 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 33 | ||
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 3 | 2 | ||||
| 2021 | 24 | 12 | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 12 | |||
| 2022 | 26 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 134 | 98 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 158 | 111 | ||
| Inter Miami | 2023 | MLS | 27 | 7 | 6 | 2 | — | 7 | 3 | 40 | 12 | |
| CF Montréal | 2024 | MLS | 23 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 3 | 26 | 14 | |
| Career total | 333 | 143 | 17 | 8 | 42 | 11 | 20 | 11 | 412 | 173 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | 2011 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 15 | 5 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 66 | 14 | |
- Scores and results list Venezuela's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Martínez goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 May 2013 | Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela | 7 |  El Salvador |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 14 August 2013 | Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela | 9 |  Bolivia |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 31 March 2015 | Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States | 17 |  Peru |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 17 November 2015 | Estadio Cachamay, Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela | 22 |  Ecuador |
1–3 | 1–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 5 June 2016 | Soldier Field, Chicago, United States | 28 |  Jamaica |
1–0 | 1–0 | Copa América Centenario |
| 6 | 6 September 2016 | Estadio Metropolitano de Mérida, Mérida, Venezuela | 33 |  Argentina |
2–0 | 2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 10 November 2016 | Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela | 36 | Bolivia |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 9 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 10 | 22 March 2019 | Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain | 46 | Argentina |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 11 | 22 June 2019 | Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil | 50 | Bolivia |
3–1 | 3–1 | 2019 Copa América |
| 12 | 1 February 2022 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | 57 |  Uruguay |
1–4 | 1–4 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 27 September 2022 | Stadion Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt, Austria | 60 |  United Arab Emirates |
4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 25 March 2023 | Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 61 |  Saudi Arabia |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Career Highlights
Atlanta United
- MLS Cup: 2018
- Eastern Conference: 2018
- U.S. Open Cup: 2019
- Campeones Cup: 2019
Inter Miami
- Leagues Cup: 2023
Individual Awards
- Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2013–14
- MLS Best XI: 2017, 2018, 2019
- MLS Most Valuable Player: 2018
- MLS Golden Boot: 2018
- MLS All-Star: 2018, 2019
- MLS All-Star Game MVP: 2018
- MLS Player of the Month (6): March 2017, September 2017, July 2018, August 2018, July 2019, August 2019
- MLS Cup MVP: 2018
- MLS 100 goals club
- MLS Goal of the Year: 2019, 2022
See also
In Spanish: Josef Martínez para niños
