When it seems that everything is going fast, in football, but essentially in life, Martín Zubimendi has a pact with patience. Taking over from Rodri, he does not hesitate when he has to wait for his opportunity in the Spanish team. Silent on the bench, but loud on the field: when the opportunity comes, he takes it. It happened in the last European Championship in Germany and in this national team break. He did it last Saturday in Murcia against Denmark (1-0) and Luis de la Fuente is scheduled to take the field today against Serbia in Córdoba (8:45 p.m., La1).
He is also calmly awaiting the moment to make the leap to a big European team. This summer, when it seemed that he was about to get on the plane to land in the legendary Liverpool, Zubimendi refused to leave the club of his life, Real Sociedad. He didn’t even care that two key footballers for Imanol, such as Le Normand (to Atlético) and Mikel Merino (to Arsenal), left San Sebastián. “I stayed calm, I decided it was the best. “I’m not going to care what we do,” commented the Spanish pivot.
It was not the first time that Zubimendi covered his ears at the possibility of leaving Real Sociedad, nor was it the last. He, however, always has a similar answer: “My philosophy is to do what comes from within me at all times. It is true that teams come out in each market, as is normal. I have thought that the best thing for me is to continue at my club, I am looking for my personal growth and I have a lot to give at Real Sociedad.” In the summer of 2023, it was Xavi Hernández who had insisted that he sign for Barcelona after the goodbye of Sergio Busquets. “I think it’s very good and very important for his team,” confessed the now former coach of the Barça team. Something similar is happening now with Manchester City. The English club, as reported by Relevo, is willing to pay the 60 million euros of his termination clause.
The same thing happened to Guardiola as to De la Fuente: he lost Rodri. “The best pivot in the world,” according to the Spain coach. But the La Roja coach is lucky that the Manchester coach is not: “Zubimendi is a great player, the second best footballer in the world.” De la Fuente’s words are not new or important for Zubimendi, but instead, it is the confidence it gives him. “I appreciate your words, but above all the confidence you give me and show me. Being second or third is another thing, but above all the confidence he has given me since I came to the under 21 team. Then he gave me the opportunity to debut with the senior team, minutes, and I am grateful to him,” commented the pivot of Real, Spain’s hero against Denmark, after making it 1-0 in the 80th minute.
“I was looking forward to the first goal,” Zubimendi said. According to the Federation, the Real player’s goal was the best thing that could happen to the coaching staff: “The one who needed the most confidence scored.” Zubimendi’s match against Denmark, La Roja’s first since Rodri’s serious injury – he tore his ligaments – was played at the pace of the pivot: when he activated, La Roja woke up. “The second half was when we were at our best. I don’t know if he has been better because of that or the whole team has been better because he has been better. Martín gives you everything you ask for and is fantastically talented. He is a footballer who is a sure value. He always plays very calmly, very calmly, always with a lot of judgment,” De la Fuente highlighted.
Continuity to the team
The Spain coach praises him in the press room and defends him on the field. “We will try to find the moment for each one, but you know that we have tremendous luck with Martín and, furthermore, with other fantastic players like Aleix, Pepelu…,” said De la Fuente. “But,” he added, “we are going to give continuity to the team, because it needs it. An idea is consolidated in the repetition of stimuli and that is what we want to continue provoking. It is a luxury to have these players, they are very good.”
Without Lamine Yamal, De la Fuente will bet on a similar eleven against Serbia. “It will be a very complicated match because Serbia needs to get a good result tomorrow. All their players play in major European leagues and we already see how they perform there. They have nothing to do with Denmark, Serbia is a team that runs a lot, counterattacks. It is a game that will require a lot of maturity and breaking ground. Physically they are very powerful and, tactically, very balanced,” analyzed De la Fuente.
If Spain defeats Serbia today in Córdoba, it secures its ticket to the quarterfinals of the Nations League with two games remaining, against Denmark and Switzerland in November. “We will continue to demand ourselves. We all want to win and we all have the right to have the appropriate tools to win. That’s what they pay us for,” De la Fuente concluded. He is not worried about the loss of Lamine Yamal for Serbia, nor about Rodri, who is absent until next season. He has Martín Zubimendi, a contractual type: he lives without haste, oblivious to the temptations of the Premier. And if not, ask Liverpool.
