Inter Miami adds Martínez ahead of Leagues Cup
Inter Miami CF signed River Plate defender Héctor David Martínez ahead of the 2024 Leagues Cup, including him in the official roster for the competition.
He joins on a one-year loan from the Argentine side until July 2025, with an option to make the transfer permanent at the conclusion of the spell.
Martínez joins after making just five appearances in all competitions for the Argentinian giants, racking up 182 minutes of action.
“I’m really happy and excited to join Inter Miami. I was thrilled about the opportunity to come here. Finally, it’s happened, and I’m really happy to get this new chapter in my career started,” said Martínez.
“The goal here is to help the team, keep growing, and hopefully, win some titles.”
The center-back kicked off a professional career with River Plate, working his way through the youth system before debuting in the first-team under Marcelo Gallardo in December 2018.
The player also saw time with Defensa y Justicia, recording two goals in over a year before returning to River Plate initially on loan and then permanently.
Internationally, he’s appeared for the Paraguay national team on 11 occasions.
Now, he is set to play a starting role alongside Inter Miami defenders Jordi Alba, Tomás Avilés and Marcelo Weigandt given the team’s current injuries to the backline. Key center-back Serhiy Kryvtsov picked up an ankle injury during the match against Toronto on July 17, forcing head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino to play midfielder Sergio Busquets in that position for the time being.
The former Barcelona player can now be expected to return to his normal placement as Martínez joins the team.
Reigning champion Inter Miami kicks off the 2024 edition of Leagues Cup on Saturday when hosting Puebla at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Unlike last year, the Herons enter the competition in a great position as leaders of the MLS Eastern Conference with 53 points in 25 games.
The team will then face Tigres UANL at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, in the hope to advance to the knockout round.
