2012 world champion with Corinthians hails club on foreign show | OneFootball

Former forward Juan Manuel Martínez, known as ‘Burrito’ Martínez, who had a spell at Corinthians in the second half of 2012, praised the club’s stature on an Argentine TV show. He was alongside Máxi Lopez, a former player who also played in attack.

“It’s like Boca and River—in other words, it’s one of the biggest. In terms of number of fans, it’s neck and neck with Flamengo, competing to see which one has more supporters in Brazil. It’s a very organized and very big institution. The facilities are incredible, as is the stadium. The truth is that, from every point of view, they do things very well.”

Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr/ Agência Corinthians

A product of Vélez Sarsfield’s youth academy in Argentina, Martínez joined Corinthians in the second half of 2012 and made his debut in August of that same year, in a 1-1 draw against Atlético-GO at Pacaembu in the Brazilian Championship.

At the time, he was signed from Vélez. However, his spell at the club from Parque São Jorge did not go as expected. Facing strong competition in a team led by Tite, who had just won the Copa Libertadores, he had limited opportunities. In total, he made just 19 appearances in a Corinthians shirt (11 as a starter), recording 11 wins, three draws and five losses – 63.2%.

In addition, he scored two goals and provided one assist, winning one title: the 2012 Club World Cup, a tournament in which Timão beat Al-Ahly (Egypt) and Chelsea (England), both by 1-0, in the semifinal and final, with goals from striker Paolo Guerrero.

At the start of 2013, Martínez transferred to Boca Juniors, where he stayed until 2015. He later played for Real Salt Lake (United States), Vélez, Independiente, Almirante, Agropecuário, Almirante Brown – all from Argentina, Club de Lyon (United States), and ended his career in the 2025/2026 season at the age of 40 playing for Lobos UPNFM of Honduras.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.