Javi Martinez has no memory of Bayern’s 2013 Champions League victory over Dortmund

Having been with Bayern Munich since 2012, Javi Martinez played in his fair share of big matches on the biggest stage. In a recent interview with 11Freunde (via Sport1), though, he revealed that he has difficulties remembering intense, emotional matches, and that includes the greatest triumphs of his club and country.

The 2013 Champions League final at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund was arguably Bayern’s biggest match of the last decade, where they defeated their Bundesliga rivals 2-1 thanks to late heroics from Arjen Robben. That win saw Bayern secure a famous treble under Jupp Heynckes, and the 2012/2013 campaign will be fondly remembered as one of the best in the club’s history.

Martinez, however, cannot remember much from the game at all. The same, he said, goes for his La Liga debut for Athletic Bilbao and the 2010 World Cup final with Spain in South Africa:

I cannot remember such emotional moments. I don’t know why. I have virtually no memory of these games at all.

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

What Javi remembers about his own professional debut with Athletic Bilbao? “It was a 1-1 against Real Sociedad. I can’t remember much more.”

While he can’t quite put a pin on exactly why he has such difficulty remembering such momentous, career-defining occasions, he said it could just be down to the fact that he’s just so focused on playing the game. Also, the pressure that naturally comes with such big occasions might also factor in his inability to remember details:

Maybe [it’s the pressure]. But I really don’t know. I guess I concentrate in these important games so much that I simply tune everything else out. When I play, I don’t think about it. I just play. People often approach me after a game and say, “Hey, how good was so-and-so today please?” or “What did so-and-so put together in the game today?” I never can say.

Photo by Alex Livesey - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images