Martín Demichelis

Martín Demichelis

Personal information
Full name	Martín Gastón Demichelis
Date of birth	20 December 1980 (1980-12-20)
Place of birth	Justiniano Posse, Argentina
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Málaga
Number	5
Youth career
0000–1995	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–	Málaga	37	(1)
National team‡
2005–	Argentina	37	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 January 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 October 2011

Martín Gastón Demichelis (Spanish pronunciation: [maɾˈtin demiˈt͡ʃelis]; born 20 December 1980) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Málaga CF in Spain, mainly as a central defender – he can operate as a defensive midfielder on occasion.

A tough-tackler, Demichelis spent most of his professional career with Bayern Munich in Germany (seven and a half years), winning 11 major titles with the team. He also competed in his country - with River Plate - and Spain.

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 signed for FC Bayern Munich in the 2003 summer, for €4.5 millions. 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.

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, 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.

On 29 October 2010, benefitting from a run of injuries in the squad, Demichelis made one of his last appearances for Bayern, heading home in a 4–2 home win against SC Freiburg.

Málaga

In late December 2010, Demichelis agreed a deal with Spanish club Málaga CF, initially until the end of the 2010–11 season, with the Andalusians retaining the option to extend the contract for a further two seasons. 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.

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.

International career

Demichelis made his debut for Argentina in 2005. Also in that year, he was selected by national team manager José Pekerman to 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, but being nonetheless summoned for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Under Diego Maradona, Demichelis played all the games for Argentina at the World Cup in South Africa, partnering Nicolás Burdisso in central defense in an eventual quarterfinal exit. On 22 June 2010, he scored the first goal of the 2–0 group stage win against Greece.

International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 September 2007	MCG, Melbourne, Australia	Australia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2	22 June 2010	Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa	Greece	1–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Club

River Plate

• Argentine Primera División: 2001–02, 2002–03

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10
• DFB-Pokal: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10
• DFB-Ligapokal: 2004, 2007
• DFL-Supercup: 2010
• UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 2009–10

Country

• FIFA Confederations Cup: Runner-up 2005

Club statistics

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
River Plate	2001–02	?	?	0	0	0	0	?	?
	2002–03	?	?	0	0	0	0	?	?
	Total	51	1	0	0	0	0	51	1
Bayern Munich	2003–04	14	2	2	0	0	0	16	2
	2004–05	23	0	4	0	5	0	32	0
	2005–06	27	1	4	0	8	2	39	3
	2006–07	26	3	2	0	6	0	34	3
	2007–08	28	1	4	0	10	0	42	1
	2008–09	29	4	3	0	8	0	40	4
	2009–10	21	1	4	0	8	0	33	1
	2010–11	6	1	1	0	2	0	9	1
	Total	174	13	24	0	47	2	245	15
Málaga	2010–11	18	1	0	0	0	0	18	1
	2011–12	19	0	0	0	0	0	19	0
	Total	37	1	0	0	0	0	37	1
Career total		262	15	24	0	47	2	333	17

Statistics accurate as of 29 January 2012

Personal

Demichelis also holds an Italian passport. He married model Evangelina Anderson in late 2007, and the couple's child, Martín Bastian, was born in Munich on 3 May 2009.

External links

• Málaga official profile
• Martín Demichelis at fussballdaten.de (German)
• BDFutbol profile
• Martín Demichelis at National-Football-Teams.com
• 2010 FIFA World Cup profile
• Martín Demichelis – FIFA competition record
• Transfermarkt profile
• Career details at Irish Times
• WorldFootball profile