MLS 2022: Who is Thiago Martins, who arrives at New York City FC as Franchise Player?

MLS 2022 teams are already strengthening and today one team announced a new arrival, which has fans wondering: who is Thiago Martins, who is coming to New York City FC as a Franchise Player?

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The announcement was made today by the MLS champion through a press release, which also detailed the conditions under which the player arrives at the tournament. 

Who is Thiago Martins?

Is a Brazilian soccer player who plays for New York City FC, in the position of defender, and who previously played for Yokohama F. Marinos of the J1 League in Japan.

The 26-year-old joins the Major League Soccer champions as a Designated Player through the 2025 season with an option for 2026, at his former club's sister club, as Yokohama F. Marinos is also part of the global City Football Group.

Where and when was Thiago Martins, NYCFC's new defender, born?

Martins was born in São João Evangelista, Brazil on March 17, 1995, and began his professional soccer career in 2013 with Brazilian club Palmeiras, a team for which he made 50 appearances between 2013-16. 

His performance caught the attention of Yokohama F. Marinos, a team he joined on loan in 2018 before earning a permanent transfer.

With his Japanese side, he won the 2019 league championship and was an indispensable part of the club's participation in the AFC Champions League.

How has Thiago Martins been received by the club?

David Lee, New York City FC's sporting director welcomed the player via press release and said, "Thiago is a highly-regarded defender who is entering the prime phase of his career."

He added: "He has all the attributes we look for in a defender and we believe he will adapt well to our style of play and thrive in MLS." 

And the enthusiastic reception from his new team's athletic director was not the only one the Brazilian received. Cityzens fans showed on social media that they are excited about the player's arrival. 

NYCFC fans searched for videos of the player in which they pointed out that one of his main qualities is that he can switch from defense to attack in a matter of seconds. 

Thiago Martins is more than happy to join New York City FC

The player did not hide his excitement at arriving at an elite MLS team and in his statement he let his enthusiasm show.

"Everything conspired perfectly to make this great signing for New York, I also watched a lot of games last season".

"I saw that we are a team that likes to play attractive and attacking soccer, we have many players who are great on the ball, but at the same time they work hard and are fighters," Martins concluded. 

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