All you need to know about Rodri’s possible replacement Martin Zubimendi

The Inside Gist:

• Martin Zubimendi’s current market transfer value as per Transfermarkt is over €60 million. His net worth in 2024 is estimated to be £5.2 million
• Manchester City might find a replacement for their injured midfielder Rodri in him (Zubimendi)
• Zubimendi plays in the position of a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Real Sociedad and the Spain national team
• Apparently, he declined an offer from Liverpool a few months ago — over the summer of 2024
• As a member of Team Spain, he won a silver medal during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, at which point he was 21 years old.

While Manchester City continues to reach out to clubs for a possible Rodri replacement, the club is looking at signing Martin Zubimendi by January. But, they need to meet his release clause of over £50.3 million.

What’s up with that? Martin Zubimendi, who is he, really? And, what has he been up to in his career as a professional footballer, of late? Curious to know all of these? Well, we did all the research so you don’t need to surf the web the whole day. Let’s get into all we found out about him.

Martin Zubimendi Starting Point (2006 – Early 2020s)

Zubimendi joined Real Sociedad’s youth setup in 2011, at which point he was 12 years old and had just graduated elementary school. He was in high school at the time.

Before then, however, had played for Antiguoko in the Donosti Cup as a child, playing for the club between 2006 and 2013. He was seven years old in 2006.

But, on August 27, 2016, at the age of 17, he made his senior debut with Real Sociedad C, where he played the last seven minutes in a 0–0 Tercera División home draw against SCD Durango.

Fast forward to July 25, 2018 (he was 19 years old at this point), he renewed his contract, which was originally scheduled to expire in 2022. Around this time, he was definitely promoted to the reserves in the Segunda Division… so that was a huge plus for his career.

By April 28, 2019, he made his first team – and La Liga – debut, coming on as a late substitute for Rubén Pardon, in what later became a 2–1 home win over Getafe CF.

July 24, 2020 (he was 21 years old at this point), was when he renewed his contract with the Txuri-urdin, which is now scheduled to expire later in 2025. Interestingly, the club definitively promoted him to the main squad.

For what itʼs worth: Zubimendi wears jersey number of #4 at Real Sociedad and the jersey number of #18 at the Spain national team.

Martin Zubimendi Growth Post 2020

On February 24, 2022, Martin Zubimendi scored his first goal in European competitions in what later became a 3–1 home defeat against RB Leipzig, during the Europa League knockout round play-offs.

That’s not all, because he would, on March 13, 2022, score his first La Liga goal in a 1–0 victory over Deportivo Alavés.

Fact-check: Zubimendi extended his contract with the club until 2027, with the contract taking start in October 2022. As recently as September 2023, he made his Champions League debut in a 1–1 draw against Inter Milan.

Martin Zubimendi International Career

Case in point: Zubimendi has been playing for the Spain national team since 2016, at which point he was 17 years old. His first match at an international level was with the Spain U17 Squad in 2016.

Not only. . . But also, he played for the Spain U19 Squad in 2017. Between 2020 and 2021, he played for Spain U21 Squad. Meanwhile, he played for Spain U23 in 2021 and has played for the Spain national team since 2021.

Martin Zubimendi Family Dynamics

Martin Zubimendi was born on February 2, 1999, to Spanish parents in San Sebastián, Spain. He is 25 years old in 2024. Given his parents’ ethnic background, his ethnicity is Spanish and he is a Spanish citizen, as well.

His zodiac sign is Aquarius. His real name is Martín Zubimendi Ibáñez. He was raised in a middle-class family, where his father, Mr. Zubimendi, was a lecturer in a university in Spain and his mother, Mrs. Zubimendi, worked as a high school teacher.

Up until his retirement as a university professor, his father played a very significant role in financing his football career journey and so did his mother, who still works as a high school teacher.

Zubimendi obtained both his elementary school and high school education at local schools in his hometown of San Sebastián, Spain. He started playing football during his elementary school years.

Height, Weight 

How tall is Martin Zubimendi? Zubimendi is 5 feet 11 inches tall (180 cm) and weighs 74 kg (163 lbs). His most distinctive features are his pale skin, athletic-built physique, black shirt hair, and dark brown eyes.

Martin Zubimendi Girlfriend

Martin Zubimendi has not shared any info about his girlfriend. But, anyway. He seems to be single and not dating anyone at the moment. Also, he has not dated anyone in the past.

Our Verdict: Zubimendi may well be focusing exclusively on his career and doesn’t care much about dating and relationships, at least not yet.

Unlike him, Man City’s Erling Haaland has a girlfriend named Isabell Haugseng Johansen, who is currently pregnant with Haaland’s first child.

Martin Zubimendi Net Worth

Martin Zubimendi’s net worth is estimated to be £5.2 million in 2024. Per Transfermarkt, his current market transfer value is estimated to be over €60 million in 2024.

For what itʼs worth: Zubimendi is on Instagram under the username @martin_zubimendi with approximately 150k thousand followers.