Bundesliga
Martinez to leave Bayern
Javi Martinez will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season after the two parties mutually agreed not to extend his contract, which expires at the end of June.
The Spaniard arrived at the Allianz Arena in summer 2012 and helped Bayern wrestle the Bundesliga title back to Munich after Borussia Dortmund’s back-to-back triumphs. That success was part of an unprecedented treble that included the DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League, a feat Martinez was involved in repeating last year.
“I’m very proud and happy to have been part of the FC Bayern family for nine years,” the 32-year-old said in a statement on the club’s website.
“I’d like to thank this great club and especially our fans – you have made Munich my home! I’ll never forget these nine years. From the very first day, I felt the ‘Mia san mia’ and the special nature of FC Bayern.”
The defensive midfielder suffered a number of serious injuries during his time at Bayern, but he has still made 266 competitive appearances for the club, including 163 in the Bundesliga, scoring 14 goals.
In addition to winning the league title every year he has been in Germany, Martinez has also helped Bayern lift the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup twice each, plus five DFB Cups and four DFL Supercups.
Watch: From the archives - Martinez, Bayern's midfield destroyer
“The decision [to sign Javi] was spot on,” said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “Javi gave our team great quality in terms of play and has always been an excellent personal fit. May I thank Javi for a tremendously enjoyable and successful time. Take care, Javi. You’ll always be an important part of the FC Bayern family.”
Martinez becomes the third senior member of the Bayern squad set to leave this summer, joining David Alaba and Jerome Boateng in charting a new course elsewhere, while head coach Hansi Flick is also departing.