Martín Demichelis

Martín Demichelis

Demichelis with Manchester City in 2015
Personal information
Full name Martín Gastón Demichelis[1]
Date of birth (1980-12-20) 20 December 1980
Place of birth Justiniano Posse, Argentina
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)[2]
Playing position Centre back / Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Espanyol
Number 2
Youth career
1994–1995 Complejo Deportivo
1995–1998 Club Renato Cesarini
1998–2000 River Plate
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2003 River Plate 51 (1)
2003–2010 Bayern Munich 174 (13)
2004 Bayern Munich II 1 (0)
2011–2013 Málaga 84 (7)
2013 Atlético Madrid 0 (0)
2013–2016 Manchester City 78 (3)
2016– Espanyol 2 (0)
National team‡
2005– Argentina 51 (2)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 November 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2016

Martín Gastón Demichelis (Spanish pronunciation: [marˈtin demiˈtʃelis]; born 20 December 1980) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays usually as a central defender for Spanish club RCD Espanyol, although he can also operate as a defensive midfielder.

Demichelis spent most of his professional career with Bayern Munich in Germany (seven and a half years),[3] winning 11 major titles with the team. He also competed in his home country with River Plate, in Spain with Málaga and in England with Manchester City.

Demichelis gained 51 caps for Argentina, representing the country in two World Cups – finishing second in 2014 – and the 2015 Copa América.

Club career

River Plate

Born in Justiniano Posse, Córdoba, Demichelis started playing professionally in 2001, with Buenos Aires-based Club Atlético River Plate, having arrived at the club's youth system three years earlier.

He made his first-team – and first division – debut on 2 September 2001 in a game against Estudiantes de La Plata, scoring his only goal for the team against Rosario Central.

Bayern Munich

Demichelis with Bayern in 2009.

Demichelis signed for FC Bayern Munich in the 2003 summer, for €4.5 million.[4] His first season in the Bundesliga was not very positive as he suffered a number of minor injuries, appearing in only 14 league games (21 in total) as the Bavarians finished in second position; in early 2004 he appeared in his only game with the reserves, against Stuttgarter Kickers.[5]

Under new coach Felix Magath, Demichelis became a regular starter for Bayern, appearing in 75 official matches in two seasons combined as the team won back-to-back doubles, achieving a total of four during his spell.

New Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld successfully reconverted Demichelis from a defensive midfielder into a central defender. In 2008–09 he netted a career-best four goals in 29 games, but the title was lost to VfL Wolfsburg. However, the player often clashed with the new manager Louis van Gaal,[6] starting immediately after the first matchday after being dropped from the starting XI for the 2010–11 opener against Wolfsburg, with Demichelis requesting that van Gaal omit him from the squad altogether, which the coach did; the player thereafter voiced to the press that it would be probable that he and the club went separate ways.[7]

On 29 October 2010, benefitting from a run of injuries in the squad, Demichelis made one of his last appearances for Bayern, heading home in a 4–2 home win against SC Freiburg.[8]

Málaga / Atlético Madrid

Demichelis playing for Málaga in 2012.

In late December 2010, Demichelis agreed to a deal with Spanish club Málaga CF, initially until the end of the 2010–11 season, with the latter retaining the option to extend the contract for a further two seasons.[9][10] He rejoined former River Plate manager Manuel Pellegrini, and made his La Liga debut on 8 January 2011, scoring in a 1–1 home draw against Athletic Bilbao.[11]

During his first four months with Málaga, Demichelis was sent off twice, but also started in all the matches he was available, being essential – as another January 2011 signee, Júlio Baptista – as the club eventually avoided relegation. On 22 August 2012 he scored the club's first-ever UEFA Champions League goal, netting the opener in the 2–0 playoff home win against Panathinaikos FC (also the aggregate score).[12]

On 11 July 2013, Demichelis signed for Atlético Madrid on a one-year contract, after his link with Málaga expired.[13] In December he started legal action against the latter over "non-payments", relating to "€400,000 of unpaid wages as well as bonuses".[14]

Manchester City

On 1 September 2013, Demichelis joined former Málaga boss Pellegrini and signed with Manchester City, penning a two-year contract for a reported £4.2 million. He had been with Atlético for less than two months, and had yet to make an appearance.[15]

Demichelis made his first appearance for his new club on 27 October 2013, starting in a 1–2 Premier League loss at Chelsea after recovering from a knee injury.[16] On 18 February of the following year, he was sent off against FC Barcelona in the club's Champions League round-of-16 0–2 home defeat, after fouling Lionel Messi and giving away a penalty.[17]

Despite Demichelis's rocky start at City, Pellegrini kept faith in him. On 15 March 2014, after club captain Vincent Kompany was sent off, he was instrumental in a 2–0 victory over Hull City.[18] The following weekend he scored his first goal, contributing to a 5–0 home win over Fulham;[19] his good run of form in the last two months of the season helped his team win the league title, and also helped him rejoin the national side.[18]

On 12 March 2015, Demichelis renewed his expiring contract until June of the following year.[20] A year later, he was charged by The Football Association for 12 breaches of their rules against gambling on matches,[21] and accepted the charge;[22] he was fined £22,058 for the breach.[23]

On 10 June 2016, Demichelis was released.[24]

Espanyol

On 10 August 2016, at nearly 36, Demichelis signed a one-year contract with Spanish club RCD Espanyol.[25]

International career

Mario Götze scoring the winning goal for Germany as Ezequiel Garay (left), Demichelis (centre) and goalkeeper Sergio Romero look on during the 2014 World Cup Final

Demichelis made his debut for Argentina in 2005. Also in that year he was selected by national team manager José Pekerman for the FIFA Confederations Cup, but did not leave the bench during the tournament.

On 11 September 2007, Demichelis scored his first international goal, in a friendly match against Australia, his header being the game's only goal. On 3 March 2010 he suffered a facial injury during an exhibition game with Germany, being sidelined for three weeks[26] but was nonetheless summoned for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Under Diego Maradona, Demichelis played in all of Argentina's games at the World Cup in South Africa, partnering Nicolás Burdisso in central defense in an eventual quarter-final exit. On 22 June 2010, he scored the first goal in the 2–0 group stage win against Greece.[27]

Demichelis lost his place in the national side in November 2011, after a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia. A two-and-a-half-year absence followed, until he was included in Alejandro Sabella's provisional 30-man squad for the 2014 World Cup.[28] He also made the final list,[29] making his debut in the tournament in the 1–0 quarter-final win over Belgium in which he played the full 90 minutes.[30]

International goals

Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 11 September 2007 MCG, Melbourne, Australia  Australia 1–0 1–0 Friendly
2 22 June 2010 Peter Mokaba, Polokwane, South Africa  Greece 1–0 2–0 2010 FIFA World Cup

Personal life

Demichelis also holds an Italian passport.[31] He married model Evangelina Anderson in July 2015 in Buenos Aires, after the couple's child, Martín Bastian, had been born in Munich on 3 May 2009.[32]

Club statistics

As of 28 November 2016[33][34]
Club statistics
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
River Plate 2001–02 ??0000??
2002–03 ??0000??
Total 5110000511
Bayern Munich 2003–04 1422000162
2004–05 2304050320
2005–06 2714082393
2006–07 2632060343
2007–08 28140100421
2008–09 2943080404
2009–10 2114080331
2010–11 61102091
Total 1741324047224515
Málaga 2010–11 1811000191
2011–12 3524100393
2012–13 31430111455
Total 847811111039
Manchester City 2013–14 2724040352
2014–15 3112070401
2015–16 1807041291
Total 7631301511044
Espanyol 2016–17 20000020
Career total 3872443173450629

Honours

Club

River Plate[33]
Bayern Munich[33]
Manchester City[33]

Country

Argentina[33]

References

  1. ↑ "Premier League clubs submit squad lists" (PDF). Premier League. 4 September 2013. p. 20. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of players" (PDF). FIFA.com. 11 June 2014. p. 2. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Demichelis: I love Bayern". FIFA.com. 30 October 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "Die Transfers in der Bundesliga" [The Bundesliga transfers]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 29 July 2003. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  5. ↑ "Spielstatistik FC Bayern München II – Stuttgarter Kickers" (in German). Fussballdaten. 14 April 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Demichelis unhappy with life at Bayern Munich". ESPN Soccernet. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  7. ↑ "Micho sorgt für Eklat!" [Micho worries after outburst!] (in German). TZ Online. 21 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  8. ↑ "Champions finding feet". ESPN Soccernet. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  9. ↑ "Demichelis wechselt nach Málaga" [Demichelis moves to Málaga] (in German). FC Bayern Munich. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  10. ↑ "Malaga set to land Demichelis". FIFA.com. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  11. ↑ "Martinez leaves it late for Bilbao". ESPN Soccernet. 8 January 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  12. ↑ "Málaga prove too strong for Panathinaikos". UEFA.com. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Demichelis joins Atletico Madrid". Soccer News. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "Manchester City defender in financial dispute with former club". Here is the City. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  15. ↑ "Martin Demichelis signs for City". Manchester City F.C. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  16. ↑ "Chelsea v Manchester City: Martin Demichelis makes shock City debut at Stamford Bridge". Metro. 27 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  17. ↑ "Manchester City 0 Barcelona 2: match report". The Daily Telegraph. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  18. 1 2 Gibson, Owen (7 July 2014). "Martín Demichelis turns his world around to bolster Argentina". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "Man City 5–0 Fulham". BBC Sport. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "Martin Demichelis extends Man City contract to end of 2015/16". BBC Sport. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "Martin Demichelis: Manchester City defender charged over betting offences". BBC Sport. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  22. ↑ "Man City's Martin Demichelis accepts FA betting charge". BBC Sport. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "Martin Demichelis: Man City defender gets £22,058 betting fine". BBC Sport. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  24. ↑ Pollard, Rob (10 June 2016). "Confirmed: Man City release Martin Demichelis and Richard Wright". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  25. ↑ "Demichelis, nou jugador de l'Espanyol" [Demichelis, new player of Espanyol] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "Surgery for injured Demichelis". Football.co. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  27. ↑ Fletcher, Paul (22 June 2010). "Greece 0–2 Argentina". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  28. ↑ "Demichelis gets surprise call to provisional Argentina squad". Eurosport. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  29. ↑ "Argentina World Cup 2014 squad". The Daily Telegraph. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  30. ↑ "Higuain's early strike enough for Argentina". FIFA.com. 5 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  31. ↑ "Clubs aus Spanien und Italien wollen Demichelis" [Clubs from Spain and Italy want Demichelis] (in German). TZ Online. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  32. ↑ Upal, Sunni (13 July 2015). "Martin Demichelis marries former Playboy model Evangelina Anderson in Argentina". Daily Mail. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 "M. Demichelis". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  34. ↑ "Martín Demichelis – Club matches". Worldfootball. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
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