Bayern legend Javi Martinez will be leaving Munich in the summer after he and the club reached a mutual decision of not having contract extension talks after nine successful years at the club.
The Spaniard has won a Bundesliga title every season since he’s arrived at Bayern, which sums up 8 league titles, with a ninth one just around the corner. Combining that with 5 DFB Pokals and 4 DFL Super Cups renders him extremely successful in Germany, just the domestic pedigree count. Taking the European and international trophies into account, he has a couple of UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup titles under his belt, which includes two trebles and a sextuple.
Martinez has had his fair share of moments of brilliance when his side was in desperate need of rescue. Scoring a 120th-minute equalizer in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup to fetch Bayern the victory on penalties is a great mention. He then went on to provide a similar contribution in 2020, when he came on against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup to score the winning goal in extra time to win the said trophy for the second time.
Switching between Centre Back and Defensive Midfield through the years, the 32-year-old has earned immense respect from his fans, teammates, and coaches in his long Bavarian career. Bayern, in a statement, said that he would be getting a farewell alongside teammates David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, and Coach Hansi Flick, who are also on the move this summer.
While Martinez could always assume going back to Athletic Bilbao, where he would perhaps always be welcome, it wouldn’t stop him from exploring his options and going elsewhere in Europe. However, the Spaniard is arriving towards the end of his career; moving to the MLS could come off as a fairly feasible alternative for him.
