Josef Martinez faced Inter Miami for the first time since the club let him leave at the end of the 2023 MLS season. The Venezuelan star came off the bench for Montreal on Sunday to help the Canadian side beat a team that missed Lionel Messi at Chase Stadium.
“What a three points guys! We’re coming back home with three points, amazing game and we continue! It’s nothing for this team! Come on!,” Martinez said postgame in a video shared by CF Montreal on social media.
The 30-year-old replaced Bryce Duke early in the second half and went on to play a pivotal role in the result, providing an assist for Sunusi Ibrahim’s winner after 78 minutes.
Martinez is playing his eighth season in MLS, having spent six years with Atlanta United before joining Inter Miami for the 2023 campaign. The Venezuelan, however, was let go by the Herons after only one year to make room for Luis Suarez.
While he became one of Messi’s most reliable partners upon the Argentine star’s arrival in the US, Martinez’s 12 goals in 40 games were still unimpressive for the South Florida franchise. Now, he’s starting another chapter in the league.
Martinez grateful for experience as Messi’s teammate
While things didn’t go exactly to plan between Martinez and Inter Miami, the Venezuela international still got to spend time next to the best player to ever set foot in the league, which is why he’s thankful for his time in South Beach.
“I’m blessed to have the opportunity to play with one of the most important players in history,” Martinez said, via Felipe Cardenas of The Athletic. “Every time we go to the locker room I was so impressed because he won everything and he’s still hungry to conquer. So I learned.”
A former MVP and MLS top scorer of the year in Atlanta, Martinez couldn’t carry that kind of form to Miami but he still tasted glory in the 2023 Leagues Cup. The club eventually had bigger plans with Suarez on their radar, but nothing will ever erase everything Josef learned from playing next to Messi.