CF Montreal signs star forward Josef Martinez to one-year contract
Published
CF Montreal announced Tuesday that it has agreed to a one-season contract with star striker Josef Martinez.
The deal with the striker and Venezuelan international player, who was named MLS Cup MVP in 2018, comes with an option year for the 2025 season, using targeted allocation money.
The Montreal soccer club did not specify the financial value of the deal.
The veteran played seven seasons in MLS, including six with Atlanta United, from 2017 to 2022. He also won the MLS Cup with the Georgia club in 2018.
Martinez joined Inter Miami CF last season and helped his team win the inaugural League Cup, scoring three goals and two assists. In 27 regular-season games for Miami, he scored seven goals and one assist, totalling 12 goals and three assists in all competitions.
The 30-year-old forward scored 105 goals and 17 assists in 161 MLS games. He is one of 13 players to have scored at least 100 goals in MLS, and is currently the ninth-highest scorer in Garber Circuit history, having overtaken Canada's Dwayne De Rosario on July 5, 2023.
Prior to joining the North American circuit, Martinez played for FC Torino (2014-17) in Italy's top division, Young Boys Bern (2012-14) and FC Thun (2013-14) in Switzerland, and FC Caracas (2010-11) in Venezuela.
Internationally, Martinez has played 66 games with the Venezuelan team since 2011, scoring 14 goals and taking part in three World Cup qualifying cycles and four editions of the Copa América (2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021).
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 6, 2024.