Real Salt Lake announced the signing of FW Juan Manuel Martinez as a designated player. The 29-year old former Argentine International comes to Salt Lake City from Boca Juniors. Martinez, nicknamed “El Burrito” due to his resemblance to former Albiceleste icon Ariel Ortega. He scored one goal in four appearances with the Argentine National Team in 2011/12. In order to accommodate Martinez as a DP on RSL’s roster, targeted allocation was used to lower the budget charge of Kyle Beckerman, freeing a designated slot.
“Juan is a player with great quality that can add a new dynamic to our attack while fitting in with our style of keeping possession with the ball on the ground,” said Real Salt Lake Technical Director Craig Waibel. ” A player with his pedigree and background will be a good addition to our locker room and our play on the field.”
Martinez was named Argentina’s 2010 Footballer of the year – sharing the award with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi – followinga campaign with Velez Sarsfield that saw him score 10 goals in 19 games in that year’s road to the Apertura title.
“El Burrito” joins the Claret and Cobalt following 13 professional seasons in South American top-flight leagues, mostly in the Argentine Primera Division, with stints in Columbia (Cucuta, 2007) and Brazil (Corinthians, 2012). Martinez piled up 258 career appearances and 44 goals dating back to 2003. A two-time league champion with 2005 and 2009 Clausura titles, as well as the 2010 Apertura runner-up..
Trey Fitzgerald with Real Salt Lake joined Tom Kirkland on TK in the Midday on Thursday to discuss the signing for RSL:
