Javi Martinez is more than familiar with a large Weißbier glass. All six of his seasons at Bayern have been capped off with a famed Weißbierdusche in celebration of a Bundesliga title. And he was faced yet again with one of those glasses on Tuesday when he met with three Bayern fans from Germany, China and the USA as part of the "Paulaner Fan Dream" to brew some beer himself. It reminded him of the smell of success.
Six years at Bayern, six titles
The 29-year-old is going into his seventh season with FCB on the back of six consecutive Bundesliga titles. Munich and Martinez simply go together, both on and off the pitch. “After six years here, Munich is home for me, for my family and my children. I hope we can stay even longer,” the Spaniard said. The fact he has now been able to brew his own Bavarian beer could be yet another step on the way to feeling truly at home.
Martinez comes from the northern Spanish region of Navarre. Things there are a little different from those in Bavaria, but the way of life and the weather are similar – it was not tough for Martinez to settle in. Jupp Heynckes brought the defensive all-rounder to Bayern from Athletic Bilbao in 2012. At the time Martinez never would have thought he’d stay in Munich for so long: “The competition here is huge. The best players in the world are here. It’s not easy to stay here for six years,” explained the 2010 world champion, who sees this as “the result of my hard work”.
Supercup the result of a good pre-season
Going into his seventh campaign, Martinez is definitely profiting from having a coach in Niko Kovac, who puts great value on this hard work. “I need a good pre-season. I wasn’t as good last season because I wasn’t fully fit. I had a few problems, but this year I feel really good,” the midfielder said. Pre-season under the new coach has been “hard and intensive, but it’s the best way to prepare for the new season”.
The 5-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday in the Supercup was already proof that “we’re fit, have worked hard and are in a good condition. That was the result of a good pre-season,” the 2013 treble-winner said in analysis. This impressive performance should set the trend for the task Bayern have ahead in the league, cup and Champions League. Javi Martinez would definitely have nothing against yet another Weißbierdusche at the end of this season – maybe even with a glass of home-brewed Javi Beer.
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