Josef Martinez has dominated MLS, and now Europe is on the horizon
On fire at the moment for Atlanta United, the next move for Josef Martinez is to follow his partner in crime and leave the MLS for the Premier League.
Miguel Almiron had to leave. The Paraguayan was probably the best player in Major League Soccer for the two years he called the USA home, but his £21 million move to the Premier League last January represented a real watershed moment for the growth and identity of the division as a whole.
Indeed, the sale of Almiron to Newcastle United established MLS as a stepping stone to Europe. Clubs on the other side of the Atlantic are increasingly looking to Canada and the United States for soccer talent and the big money transfer (a record transfer for Newcastle) was the starkest manifestation yet of this.
Before too long, there will be another Almiron, another young talent who makes the switch from MLS to Europe. Aaron Long, for instance, has been scouted by Premier League clubs, with the New York Red Bulls even turning down an offer for the midfielder earlier this summer. Real Salt Lake striker Jefferson Savarino is another who has been recently linked with a move to Europe.
Nobody looks as ready for such a switch as Josef Martinez, though. Many questioned how the Venezuelan striker would perform after Atlanta United’s sale of Almiron, whom he forged a relationship with last season on his way to winning MLS Cup and the MLS Golden Boot, but his scoring form has continued. And then some.
Martinez is currently in the midst of a league-record scoring streak which has seen him find the back of the net in each of his last 12 MLS appearances. It’s a streak that now stands as the third-longest in the history of the professional game and with every match, he scores in he edges closer to Lionel Messi’s world record of goals in 21 consecutive league outings.
This run of form is no fluke. Martinez might well be the best, most potent centre forward MLS has ever witnessed, at least over his short period in the league. This is a guy who netted 19 times in 18 starts in his first season in the league and then 35 in 39 last season. With around a third of the 2019 campaign still to play, the 26-year-old is on course to match that mark, with 22 goals in 24 league appearances in 2019.
“The thing about Joe is he’s a fighter, He’s a competitor,” Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan explained after the win over Orlando City last weekend. “When you cross the white lines, you want him on your team. He’s a warrior out there.” De Boer also revealed a bit more about what makes Martinez so special. “He brings some kind of energy. He demands from other players that they have to give the best out of themselves. He pushes them to the limit,” said the Dutchman.
If European scouts are looking at MLS, they are surely attracted to what they see in Martinez – a physically strong and dynamic forward with an irrepressible instinct for finding the back of the net. If Almiron went for £21 million, then his former Atlanta United teammate would surely fetch a fee of around that mark too.
Of course, one of the big differences between Almiron and Martinez, besides their position and playing style, is that Martinez has already played in Europe. Indeed, the Venezuelan was a €3 million signing for Torino back in 2014, also playing for Young Boys and Thun during a spell in Switzerland.
Martinez’s first European stint was underwhelming, though, only scoring seven goals in 58 appearances for Torino. If he were to make the move to a club in the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A or somewhere else in Europe, he would do so laden with this baggage whether that is fair or not.
MLS has been a proving ground for Martinez to mature as a player. His game is far more accomplished than it was during his time at Torino and his current scoring streak hints at a character who believes he can take on anyone and anything. If Almiron was the first to use MLS as a stepping stone, then there’s no reason to believe Martinez can’t be next.