Josef Martinez kicked off his career in his home country of Venezuela. The striker played for Switzerland's Young Boys and Italy's Torino, but goal scoring was scarce. Despite this, Atlanta United saw something in Josef. He joined the expansion side ahead of their inaugural season in 2017, as Torino loaned him out to the club in February, with an option to buy. That option was activated in what has to be record time, just a month later. He proved himself quickly.
In the second game of the first AUFC season, Josef Martinez introduced himself to Major League Soccer with a hat trick against Minnesota United during a 6-1 win. Just two minutes into the snowy match, he opened the scoring. He got in on the break and finished, before doing it yet again later on. Josef had a rare ability to time his runs perfectly and constantly get in behind the defense. In the very next match, he put a brace past Chicago in a 4-0 win. Another perfect run allowed him to round the keeper and score from a tough angle. The fans had no choice but to fall in love with the attacker that scored 5 goals in the opening 3 matches in club history. After these three games, Atlanta United wasted no time by triggering the buy option. He was the March 2017 MLS Player of the Year. The scoring run for Josef Martinez was put to an abrupt halt as a result of a hamstring injury that kept him out of 12 straight games.
Three months later, Martinez came back and resumed his normal scoring with a roofed tally against the Columbus Crew. On Independence Day, he scored a double against the San Jose Earthquakes. He scored with a header and went post and in to secure a 4-2 victory in the dying moments. In September, Josef had zero regard for the rest of the league, scoring 8 goals in 4 games. In a historic 7-0 blowout win over the New England Revolution, Martinez planted his name on the scoresheet three times. Just over one minute in, he sprinted past Antonio Delamea and blasted a shot past Cody Cropper. A signature jump-penalty marked the second of the night. The first-half hat trick was closed off through another casual penalty kick. He managed to score a hat trick in two straight games after doing it again against Orlando City just days later. The Orlando match was the first of many times that Atlanta broke the MLS attendance record, with 70,425 people. Josef finished off an impressive Julian Gressel run to tie the game. He equalized again with a power header down into the turf. For the third time in a single game, Martinez tied the game at 3 with a charging run and first-time shot. ATL finished fourth in their first season, but lost to Columbus in the first round in a shootout. Josef made the MLS Best XI with his 19 goals.
In 2018, Josef Martinez posted one of the greatest seasons by a player in the history of the league. After receiving a slap in the face in week one, a 4-0 loss to Houston, the Five Stripes became virtually unstoppable. They went 7-0-1 in their next eight matches. In the first game of the stretch, Martinez opened his account against DC United with a creative, darting run. He just seemed to also know exactly where the defenders were going to be positioned, and found gaps in between them. He then scored his fourth career MLS hat trick after bagging 3 in 2017. He did so against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He opened it up with a penalty, then ran in one-on-one to score the second. A back post header and stare into the crowd sealed the deal. In a June victory over the Philadelphia Union, he dominated for a fifth hat trick. It began with a PK again, but a spinning tap-in added the next one. Another penalty, this time blasted to the left side of the goal, was the third.
From May 30th to August 24th, Josef Martinez went on what has to be the greatest scoring run in league history. In this stretch, he played 14 regular season matches. In those 14 games, he scored a number of times that does not even seem feasible, an unbelievable 20 goals. It is hard to find exactly where to start, as recapping the entire run would take all day. The easiest place to start is his sixth career MLS hat trick in just 1.5 seasons, this time traumatizing the DC United back line. A physical header was his first of the day. Another header set the smoke machines off. He walked into the box and found himself all alone for a third goal. In the next match, he scored a brace on FC Dallas. During the run, he scored the lone goal for the MLS All-Stars versus Juventus. He scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC. On Decision Day, Josef capped off his season with his 31st of the year in Toronto. A second place Eastern Conference finish pitted Atlanta against NYCFC, where Josef added two goals in the second leg, smashing a volley past Sean Johnson. He scored once with great control on RBNY in the ECF. In MLS Cup 2018, Josef Martinez scored by rounding Jeff Attinella and assisted Franco Escobar against the Portland Timbers to claim a very deserved championship trophy. Martinez won the 2018 MLS, MLS Cup MVP, Golden Boot and made the Best XI.
In 2019, Martinez nearly matched his magical 2018 campaign. His 27 goals meant that he had scored 77 goals in just 3 seasons. He scored his first of the year against FC Cincinnati in March with a run timed to perfection. Later in the month, he scored in a 3-1 friendly win against Argentina. Josef has 66 caps and 14 goals total for his country. His first multi-goal game of the season took place in May versus Sporting Kansas City. He sacrificed his body to score a rebound, then smacked one into the top left. In fixtures against Minnesota and Chicago just four days apart, Martinez provided 2 goals in each.
Once July hit, he embarked on another crazy scoring run. In the 12 regular season matches in July and August and a few in September, he scored 16 goals. He scored at least one goal in each of the 12 games. He also appeared in the All-Star Game during this time. Additionally, he scored in the Campeones Cup against Club America to claim another trophy. Two weeks later, Atlanta defeated Minnesota United in the US Open Cup final to add yet another piece of hardware. He finished the scoring streak with a brace on FC Cincy. He won the 2018 MLS Goal of the Year in the match as well. He used a heel flick to control the ball, chopped back on the left, before dancing past one more defender and curling it in with the weak foot. Atlanta finished second in the East. They beat Philadelphia with a Martinez left-footed screamer in the second round, but Toronto got the best of them in the ECF. Josef made the Best XI for the third straight season. Additionally, he won the fifth and sixth Player of the Month Awards of his career.
Following a legacy run of 19, 31 and 27-goal seasons, Josef Martinez suffered a major setback in 2020. Just 69 minutes into the opening game, prior to the pandemic, he went down with a torn ACL during a win over Nashville SC. He thought he may never play soccer again due to multiple infections that stopped his recovery in its tracks. In 14 months time, he was back on the pitch.
Martinez was started off slow, playing only in substitute appearances after the injury. On May 9th, he returned to goal-scoring, netting one in a draw with Inter Miami. He immediately went and hugged a member of the training staff. Sadly, he has never quite recovered the level he was playing at. Had the injury not happened, Martinez could have been in the conversations of some of the best MLS players of all time. Even so, he managed to score some goals in 2021. His first brace back was one against FC Cincinnati in September. No. 7 scored a header and a cheeky finesse. On Decision Day, he scored his 12th goal of the season versus FCC with a wild running volley, getting back on track with double-digit goals. Atlanta lost in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the champions, NYCFC.
In 2022, Martinez fell just short of the double-digit mark, scoring 9 times. He helped defeat Charlotte FC with a stutter step early in the campaign. He scored another versus his future club in Miami. His last ever Atlanta United goal in his last ever Atlanta United away game could not have been scripted any better. At Gillette Stadium, he checked into the match with 36 minutes to play. Josef sprawled out for a Brooks Lennon cross, making perfect connection on a bicycle kick that flew into the net with velocity, the 2022 MLS Goal of the Year. He was allotted the last 45 minutes in a home match against NYCFC, the last time he touched the pitch for Atlanta.
Atlanta used their lone off-season buyout on Josef Martinez. Ahead of the 2023 season, Inter Miami CF signed Josef Martinez. The manner in which he opened his account in South Florida was quite poetic. Atlanta United paid Miami a visit at DRV PNK Stadium. Josef Martinez scored his first and second goals in pink, winning 2-1. He slotted a penalty kick into the bottom right. Just 15 minutes later, DeAndre Yedlin found Josef making a vintage run, and he slid it home. His celebration was a sign of how ugly the Atlanta exit was. The goals made him the fastest player to score 100 MLS regular season in league history, doing it in just 142 matches. Bradley Wright-Phillips was the previous record holder, doing it in 159. In Leagues Cup, Josef scored one against Orlando. En route to the final of the tournament, he scored a goal against both Charlotte and a low volley at Philadelphia. Miami beat Nashville SC to win Leagues Cup 2023. Martinez scored a goal in the US Open Cup final against the Houston Dynamo, but Miami fell short. His most recent goal took place in his penultimate game of the regular season, where he notched his 7th MLS tally against the Chicago Fire.
After Josef Martinez was held out of Miami's Decision Day game, Tata Martino announced that he would not be back with the team in 2024. Miami is expected to bring in Luis Suarez, a deal that will become official soon. Miami's end-of-year roster decisions confirmed his departure, as his contract option was declined. Now, the 30-year-old Venezuelan striker is a free agent and is able to sign with any team. It remains to be seen if he will continue his career in Major League Soccer, where he has found all of his success. Regardless of where he ends up, he most definitely still has something left to give. Martinez has been one of the most influential players in the recent period of MLS. His incredible scoring ability earns him the #5 slot.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | MIA | 1,741 | 7 | 1 |
2022 | ATL | 1,456 | 9 | 4 |
2021 | ATL | 1,641 | 12 | 1 |
2020 | ATL | 69 | 0 | 0 |
2019 | ATL | 2,581 | 27 | 4 |
2018 | ATL | 2,898 | 31 | 6 |
2017 | ATL | 1,528 | 19 | 1 |
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