Javi Martinez named Bayern Munich’s player of the month for February

It should come as no surprise that Javi Martinez has officially been named Bayern Munich’s player of the month for February. In the official polling on Bayern’s official website, Javi received an overwhelming majority of the votes, ringing in at a total of 58.3%, beating out Kingsley Coman (13.1%), Serge Gnabry (11.3%), Leon Goretzka (5.4%), and James Rodriguez (3.6%).

Martinez started just 3 matches across competitions in February, but he made his presence felt when he was involved. He scored headers in Bayern’s wins over Hertha Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach, both of which came off of corner kicks, a testament to his towering presence on set pieces. In addition to his goal-scoring performances, Javi was arguably Bayern’s best player on the pitch for their 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League. He was a standout performer in what was a tactically defensive masterclass from Niko Kovac and the team.

It’s refreshing to see Martinez play so well considering how much he struggled for consistent minutes earlier in the season. Kovac has shown a preference for starting Thiago and Leon Goretzka as the dual pivot in central midfield, but Javi has proved his worth during Goretzka’s injury absence. He has provided crucial defensive cover while acting as the number 6 just in front of the center-backs, which has greatly helped Bayern’s transitions from attack to defense and vice versa stay balanced.

And he’s been showing off during training sessions too! Glückwunsch, Javi!