Football, passions, and music: 10 facts about Josep Martínez

Josep Martínez Riera, the new goalkeeper for Inter Milan, was born in Alzira, Spain, on 27 May 27 1998. He began his career in the youth ranks of Barcelona and, in 2017, moved to Las Palmas, where he spent three seasons playing 28 matches in Segunda División. In 2020, he transferred to Germany to join RB Leipzig, where he made 4 appearances over two seasons, including a debut in the UEFA Champions League and winning the DFB-Pokal in 2022. For the 2022/23 season, Martínez moved to Italy with Genoa, where he achieved promotion to Serie A in his first year and made 36 appearances in the top flight during the following season.

THE NICKNAME

Martínez has been known by several nicknames, but the most common one is Pepo. This nickname was coined by one of his teammates during his time at Las Palmas. What started as a playful name soon spread among all of Josep’s friends.

THE ROLE MODEL BETWEEN THE POSTS

Born in the Valencian Community, Josep has always aspired to be a goalkeeper. As a child, his idol was Iker Casillas, the Spanish football legend.

PREVIOUS NERAZZURI GOALKEEPERS

Inter has a long-standing tradition of exceptional goalkeepers. Among the greats in the club's history, Martínez particularly admires Júlio César. Josep has fond memories of the Brazilian goalkeeper, who won 14 trophies during his six years at Inter.

AN UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT

Throughout his career, Josep has experienced many memorable moments on the football field. However, one stands out as particularly unforgettable: on 6 May 2023, he celebrated with immense joy as Genoa secured promotion to Serie A with a 2-1 victory over Ascoli, concluding the 2022/23 season.

LA PARATA PIÙ BELLA

La carriera di Martínez ha avuto una svolta importante con il suo arrivo in Italia, al Genoa, nella stagione 2022/23: il portiere pensa che la sua parata più bella e importante risalga alla sfida contro la Reggina di quell'anno, terminata 1-0. Josep si riferisce all'intervento all'ultimo secondo con cui deviò sopra la traversa un pallonetto dell'attaccante avversario, regalando ai rossoblu una vittoria fondamentale nella corsa verso la promozione.

WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF

Brave, calm, and a good friend both on and off the field: these are the words Josep would use to describe himself.

THE SEA AND THE SURF

Martínez grew up in Alzira, a city just a few kilometres from the sea, where he loved spending his days riding the waves on a surfboard. This passion has been with him since he was a child, long before he became a professional footballer.

INTERNATIONAL THRILLS

One of the greatest emotions in Josep’s career so far came when he made his debut for Spain. Martínez has earned three caps with the Under-21 team and one with the senior National Team, featuring in a 4-0 friendly victory over Lithuania on 8 June 2021, in Leganés.

THE STRONGEST FORWARD

Throughout his career, Josep has faced many formidable opponents. However, he believes that the strongest forward he has encountered is Lautaro Martínez.

MUSICAL PREFERENCES

Josep is a big music enthusiast, with reggaeton being his favourite genre. He also enjoys many traditional Spanish songs. However, before stepping onto the pitch, Martínez switches gears, listening to techno music to get himself pumped up for each match.