Cristian Jesús Martínez (born 6 February 1997) is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for

Ironi Kiryat Shmona Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל הפועל עירוני קרית שמונה) known as Ironi Kiryat Shmona is an Israeli football club based in Kiryat Shmona. The club is a current member of the Israeli Pr ...

and the Panama national team.

Club career

Chorrillo

Martínez joined the youth team of his local side Chorrillo at the age of 8, eventually joining the club's first team in 2012.

Columbus Crew

Martínez signed on loan with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

side Columbus Crew on 17 May 2016. Martínez made his MLS debut on June 1, 2016, coming on as a substitute in a 3-2 loss to

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

. He scored in the 90+3', becoming the youngest Crew SC goal scorer in a regular-season match in club history. Martínez would be loaned by Crew SC to Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the club's USL affiliate. He made his Riverhounds debut against FC Montreal on August 10, 2016. Crew SC would recall Martínez for two more appearances at the end of the MLS season. On January 25, 2017 Martínez was acquired on a permanent transfer. On May 4, 2017, Martínez was loaned to United Soccer League club FC Cincinnati. He played in one game before returning to Columbus Crew on May 8. The club declined Martinez's contract option following the 2018 season, ending his time in Columbus after three years, 31 total appearances, and three goals.

Chicago Fire

On 12 December 2018, Martínez was selected by Chicago Fire in the MLS Waiver Draft. On 24 August 2019, Martínez joined USL Championship side

Las Vegas Lights Las Vegas Lights FC is an American professional soccer team based in Las Vegas, Nevada, that plays in the USL Championship. The team made its debut in 2018 and plays its home games at Cashman Field. The team employs neon imagery in its crest a ...

on loan for the remainder of the season.

Cádiz

On January 18, 2020,

Cádiz CF Cádiz Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., known simply as Cádiz, is a Spanish professional football club based in Cádiz, Andalusia. Founded in 1910, the club competes in the La Liga, holding home games at Nuevo Mirandilla, with a seating capacity of 20 ...

announced his signing until 2022 and that he would be loaned to a

Segunda División B Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foot ...

team. On January 24 it was made official that that team would be Recreativo de Huelva. On January 30, 2021,

announced his six-month loan to CD Plaza Amador of Panama.

Najran

On 20 January 2023, Martínez joined Saudi Arabian club

Najran Najran ( ar, نجران '), is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated as a new town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen fr ...

Plaza Amador

On 26 July 2023, Martínez joined

Plaza Amador Plaza Amador is a Panamanian football club based in Panama City, that currently plays in Liga Panameña de Fútbol. It is the oldest team in Panama. History C.D Plaza Amador was founded in 1955 by Panamanian sports legend León Cocoliso Tejada ...

Al-Jandal

On 16 September 2023, Martínez joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Jandal.

Ironi Kiryat Shmona

On 13 July 2024 signed for the Israeli club

International career

In May 2018 he was named in Panama's preliminary 35 man

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...

for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

in Russia. However, he did not make the final 23.

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links

* * * 1997 births Living people Panamanian men's footballers Footballers from Panama City Men's association football midfielders Club Deportivo Universitario players Columbus Crew players Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players FC Cincinnati players Chicago Fire FC players Las Vegas Lights FC players Cádiz CF Mirandilla players Recreativo de Huelva players C.D. Plaza Amador players Monagas S.C. players Najran SC players Al-Jandal SC players Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C. players Liga Panameña de Fútbol players Major League Soccer players USL Championship players Segunda División B players Venezuelan Primera División players Saudi First Division League players Panama men's international footballers Panama men's under-20 international footballers 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2024 Copa América players Panamanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Venezuela Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Venezuela Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Expatriate men's footballers in Israel Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Israel {{Panama-footy-bio-stub