He has been compared to Sergio Busquets, Xavi Alonso and current Ballon d’Or holder Rodri, but Martin Zubimendi has quickly made a name for himself over the past couple of seasons.
Since breaking into the Real Sociedad midfield in 2020/21 following the departure of stalwart David Zurutuza and Martin Odegaard’s loan spell ending, the 26-year-old has become one of his homeland’s star players, and having played a starring role in helping his boyhood team reach the Champions League alongside Mikel Merino, the duo then went one better by helping Spain lift Euro 2024.
Rodri’s departure at half-time could have been pivotal, but Zubimendi proved to be a more than adequate stand-in. He completed 24 of his 26 passes, won all five of his duels and no other player made more tackles than him during his time on the field as he steered his country to more silverware.
“Rodri is the best midfielder in the world,” the victorious Spain coach Luis De la Fuente said afterwards, “but Zubimendi is the second best. Martin gives you everything you ask for and has a fantastic talent. He’s a guarantee, totally reliable. He always plays calmly, unhurried and every decision is the right one.”
And the stats back that assumption up wholeheartedly. Zubimendi loves to be on the ball, orchestrating the tempo and rhythm of the game, and was ranked fourth in La Liga for passes (1,752), successful passes (1,479) and touches (2,197). He was also involved in 1,284 open-play passing sequences in 2024/25, the third most among all defensive and central midfielders in La Liga.
Midfielders invovled in most open play passing sequences in La Liga in 24/25
Pedri
Barcelona
1,955
Federico Valverde
Real Madrid
1,584
Martin Zubimendi
Real Sociedad
1,284
Rodrigo De Paul
Atletico Madrid
1,282
Javi Guerra
Valencia
1,197
Those numbers were despite playing in an injury-ravaged Sociedad side that finished a disappointing 11th, making his numbers all the more impressive. For context, the Premier League players who found themselves in the most passing sequences last term were Moises Caicedo, Bruno Guimaraes and Ryan Gravenberch - a trio Martin will be relishing battling with in the coming months.
And of those 1,284 sequences, 337 involved him starting one of them, which showcases his penchant for winning the ball back before allowing his teammates to switch defence into attack.
When he does find himself with time to pick a pass, Zubimendi has the ability to unlock whatever is put in front of him. Only Real Madrid trio Luka Modric, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni produced more line-breaking passes through midfield than he did, with 147 sent into the final third, and 29 splitting defences - which could be hugely valuable in trying to break down low blocks.
Most line-breaking passes by La Liga midfielders in 24/25
Player
Club
Passes
Luka Modric
Real Madrid
275
Federico Valverde
Real Madrid
258
Aurelien Tchouameni
Real Madrid
241
Martin Zubimendi
Real Sociedad
238
Rodrigo De Paul
Atletico Madrid
224
While he is first and foremost a defensive midfielder, there is further proof that Zubimendi is more than adept at making his influence known at the cutting edge of attack. Last term he averaged 16.7 open-play passes forwards, 14.0 to the left and 15.5 to the right every 90 minutes, showing he can scan all the options and keep the opposition guessing.
31% of his passes went forward, which puts him in a similar bracket to Odegaard (32%) during 2024/25, and ahead of his new Premier League contemporaries Enzo Fernandez (29%), Sandro Tonali (28%) and Gravenberch (27%), as well as Manchester City legend Kevin de Bruyne (also 27%).
Positionally, Zubimendi is very disciplined, patrolling the space in front of his centre-backs in almost regimented fashion while remaining an option around the centre circle as play progresses, ready to send the ball spinning off in a different direction if necessary to breathe new life into play.
But while his metronomic passing style gets the attention, Zubimendi’s defensive ability is also outstanding. Once the ball needs recovering, he loves getting involved in duels, competing in 282 of them across his 36 league appearances last term, and boasting a 58% success rate, with that rising to 62% in the air despite being 5'11 - the fourth highest in the division.
Only one player in La Liga managed to win back possession in the middle third during 2024/25 than our new man, who also averaged 1.3 interceptions and 2.2 tackles a game per 90 minutes in Spain’s top-flight last term, adding to his ability to start moves off and initiate counter-attacks.
Midfielders who won back possession most in La Liga in 24/25
Player
Team
Possession won
Luis Milla
Getafe
100
Martin Zubimendi
Real Sociedad
94
Antonio Blanco
Alaves
89
Javi Guerra
Valencia
89
Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta
Athletic Bilbao
88
Whether it's doing defensive dirty work or pinging perfect passes, Zubimendi is a superb team player who looks set to make his mark in the Premier League and help us take another step towards silverware. Should he do just that, then his name could well be mentioned in the same breath as his established Spanish contemporaries.
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