Martín Demichelis

Martín Gastón Demichelis (Spanish pronunciation: [maɾˈtin demiˈtʃelis]; born 20 December 1980) is an Argentine retired professional footballer who played usually as a centre-back, although he could also operate as a defensive midfielder.

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 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Bayern Munich U19 (manager)
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)
2016–2017 Espanyol 2 (0)
2017 Málaga 10 (0)
Total 400 (24)
National team
2005–2016 Argentina 51 (2)
Teams managed
2017–2018 Málaga (assistant)
2019– Bayern Munich U19
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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 Espanyol and Málaga and in England with Manchester City.

Demichelis earned 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 a goal in a 4–2 home win against SC Freiburg.[8]

Málaga and 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] On 10 January 2017, however, after only two appearances, he was released.[26]

Málaga return

Demichelis returned to the La Rosaleda Stadium on 17 January 2017, agreeing to a five-month deal.[27] On 15 May, he announced his retirement.[28][29]

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,[30] 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.[31]

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.[32] He ending up making the final list.[33] On the bench for the team's first four games, Demichelis made his debut in the tournament in the 1–0 quarter-final win over Belgium in which he played the full 90 minutes, taking the place of Federico Fernandez.[34] He went on to start in the semi-finals where his team eliminated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw, and again in the final against Germany and picked up the runners-up medal as Argentina lost 1–0 after extra time.[35][36][37]

Personal life

Demichelis also holds an Italian passport.[38] He has two children with his wife, model Evangelina Anderson.[39] On 19 February 2019, a group of burglars broke into his house. Demichelis reportedly found four hooded men in his Spanish property and protected his family by scaring them off. Some valuable items including cash and jewelry were stolen.[40]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[41][42]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
River Plate 2001–02 170––71–241
2002–03 351––111–462
Total 521––182–703
Bayern Munich 2003–04 142200050–212
2004–05 230502050–350
2005–06 271401082–403
2006–07 263201060–353
2007–08 2814020100–441
2008–09 29430–80–404
2009–10 21140–90–341
2010–11 6110–201[lower-alpha 1]0101
Total 17413250605321025915
Málaga 2010–11 18110–––191
2011–12 35241–––393
2012–13 31430–111–455
Total 84781–111–1039
Manchester City 2013–14 272202040–352
2014–15 311002070–401
2015–16 180205041–291
Total 7634090151–1044
Espanyol 2016–17 2000–––20
Málaga 2016–17 10000–––100
Career total 398243711509761054831
  1. Appearance in DFL-Supercup

International
Argentina[43]
YearAppsGoals
200520
200610
200751
200890
200970
201091
201140
201470
201550
201620
Total512

International goals
Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Demichelis goal.
List of international goals scored by Martín Demichelis
111 September 2007MCG, Melbourne, Australia Australia1–01–0Friendly
222 June 2010Peter Mokaba, Polokwane, South Africa Greece1–02–02010 FIFA World Cup[44]

Honours

Club

River Plate[41]

Bayern Munich[41]

Manchester City

International

Argentina[41]

Individual

References
  1. "Premier League clubs submit squad lists" (PDF). Premier League. 4 September 2013. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2013. 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!]. tz (in German). 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. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. 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. Winter, Henry (19 February 2014). "Manchester City 0 Barcelona 2: match report". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  18. 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. "Rescissió de contracte de Demichelis" [Demichelis contract termination] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  27. "Demichelis vuelve al Málaga" [Demichelis returns to Málaga]. Marca. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  28. "Former Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis announces retirement after 'losing strength in his legs'". Daily Mirror. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  29. "El último tributo a los capitanes eternos" [The last tribute to the eternal captains] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  30. "Surgery for injured Demichelis". Football.co. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  31. Fletcher, Paul (22 June 2010). "Greece 0–2 Argentina". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  32. "Demichelis gets surprise call to provisional Argentina squad". Eurosport. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  33. "Argentina World Cup 2014 squad". The Daily Telegraph. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  34. "Higuain's early strike enough for Argentina". FIFA.com. 5 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  35. Chaudhary, Vivek (12 July 2014). "World Cup 2014 final - Germany vs Argentina: Five reasons Argentina reached the World Cup final". Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  36. Jolly, Richard (8 July 2014). "The improbable fall and rise of Martin Demichelis". The National. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  37. Wallace, Sam (12 July 2014). "World Cup 2014 final - Germany vs Argentina: Will Martin Demichelis be a warrior or a liability?". Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  38. "Clubs aus Spanien und Italien wollen Demichelis" [Clubs from Spain and Italy want Demichelis]. tz (in German). 24 August 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  39. "Das Champions-League-Duell der sexy Spielerfrauen". Abendzeitung München (in German). 26 April 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  40. Jones, Rich; Slater, Chris (19 February 2019). "Former Man City star Martin Demichelis 'chases burglars out of family home'". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  41. "M. Demichelis". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  42. "Martín Demichelis – Club matches". Worldfootball. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  43. Martín Demichelis at National-Football-Teams.com
  44. "FULL-TIME: Greece 0–2 Argentina". FIFA.com. 22 June 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  45. Lyon, Sam (22 May 2010). "Bayern Munich 0–2 Inter Milan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  46. "Martín Demichelis: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  47. McNulty, Phil (2 March 2014). "Manchester City 3–1 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  48. McNulty, Phil (28 February 2016). "Liverpool 1–1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
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  50. "Bundesliga Historie 2007/08" (in German). kicker.
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