All things considered, the Spaniard is—in the best possible sense—a football fanatic. His meticulous approach to the game has led many back home to compare him with coaching legend Pep Guardiola. Spanish newspaperSport once told a revealing anecdote about the 42-year-old: as manager of Barcelona's Under-14s, he kept his bride Maria waiting at their wedding so he and a few guests could squeeze in a game of football before the reception. The marriage went ahead smoothly, despite his obsession with the beautiful game. My wife says it's the only thing I'm really good at—and she's right," Martinez once remarked.
"It was a slightly surprising choice at first," admitted B04 sporting director Simon Rolfes when the 42-year-old was presented last Friday. Yet, as Rolfes explained, "If you look at Carles' CV and Bayer 04, you see the similarities. He has that passion, drive and ambition, plus the courage to field young players. In France he managed a very international squad, just like we have here."
In any case, the "Bayer DNA" aligns with the Spanish style of play, Rolfes emphasised, looking ahead to the next Spaniard on the Leverkusen bench. "When I became sporting director in 2018, it made perfect sense to look towards Spain," Rolfes added. The success of Spanish club football over the past two decades "definitely" proves the point.