In an era where young players are often traded between clubs before finding a foothold, Martin Zubimendi's path at Real Sociedad is a new exception. The defensive midfielder joined the Basque national team's academy at the age of 12 and has advanced through the ranks. He made his La Liga debut aged 20 in a 2-1 home win over Getafe on 25 April 2019.
It took Zubimendi another 3 years to affirm his position as a mainstay in the starting lineup of Real Sociedad. And his first big break came from Asier Illarramendi's injury. Therefore, Zubimendi honed his skills in the No. 6 position under the guidance of head coach Real Sociedad B and also a famous former midfielder, Xabi Alonso.
Currently a Spanish international with nearly 250 official matches for the club, Zubimendi often talks about the influence of Alonso. He noted that the former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder has shaped his understanding of the position of deep-lying midfielder. But instead of moving to Real Madrid to reunite with Alonso, he chose another former Spanish midfielder, Mikel Arteta, to continue his career development after completing a €60 million transfer to Arsenal.
Operating mainly as a traditional number 6, in front of the defense and behind the midfielders with an attacking mindset, Zubimendi's influence is felt in many aspects. When he does not have the ball, he brings discipline in position and balance in defense, covers the central defenders and predicts danger.
When he had the ball, he played a central role in Real Sociedad's play, often deciding the tempo with passes. Under manager Imanol Alguacil, who left Sociedad in May, Zubimendi was often deployed as a single axle in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 system.
However, before that in his career, he played alongside a second-row midfielder. In such teams, Zubimendi was given more attacking freedom, taking on the same role as some 8 box-to-box.
His tactical intelligence and reliability also helped him gain international trust for Luis de la Fuente's Spanish national team. Zubimendi has taken on a similar role - rotating as a singles/ doubles - as Rodri is absent due to injury, playing a key role at EURO 2024 and the UEFA Nations League.
All the key factors for Zubimendi to thrive at Arsenal are available. From a purely football perspective, he has proven himself to be at the highest level as a European champion with Spain and a consistent player in La Liga.
At the age of 26, Zubimendi came to the Emirates with a clear maturity and purpose, not as a developing player. He will provide a strategic presence, freeing up people like Declan Rice. In fact, the Spaniard is also used to playing as a single rotation, giving Arteta the option of using a "double 8" including Rice and Martin Odegaard.
And then there is cultural S conduct. Under Arteta, he worked not only with a Spaniard, but also with a Basque. This is a factor that can remove any potential language barriers or inconsistencies in tactical understanding.
