Marvin Martin

Marvin Martin
Born	(1988-01-10) January 10, 1988 14th arrondissement of Paris, France
Occupation(s)	Footballer (former), Football coach
Years active	2008–2023 (player), 2024– (coach)
Known for	Midfielder, France national team player

Marvin Martin (born 10 January 1988) is a former French footballer and current professional coach, serving as assistant manager at Hyères, a club competing in Championnat National 2. Renowned as a creative and skillful midfielder, he was distinguished by his "excellent ball control" and "superb vision," qualities that compensated for his relatively modest height. Martin earned 15 international caps with the France national team, participating in UEFA Euro 2012.

Early years

Born in the 14th arrondissement of Paris near the Porte de Vanves neighborhood, Martin grew up close to the Parc des Princes stadium, frequently attending matches of Paris Saint-Germain, which fueled his early enthusiasm for football. He began playing at age six with Club Athlétique de Paris before moving to Montrouge CF, located in the southern suburbs of Paris. His determination to pursue professional football intensified following France's triumph in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, an event he described as "the moment I wanted to become a professional player." While at Montrouge, Martin played alongside future professionals such as Hatem Ben Arfa, Issiar Dia, Flavien Belson, and Dominique Malonga. This cohort helped secure the under-13 Coupe de Paris title in 1997 by defeating PSG in the final.

Despite his potential, Martin was unsuccessful in gaining entry to the elite Clairefontaine academy, unlike teammate Hatem Ben Arfa. A coach from Montrouge remarked that this rejection did not deter him; instead, he remained focused and committed. In 2002, after being scouted by Christian Puxel, Martin impressed during a trial match at the Stade Auguste Bonal, leading to Sochaux offering him a youth contract that July.

Sochaux

Upon joining Sochaux’s esteemed youth system, Martin quickly adapted and developed friendships with future teammates like Ryad Boudebouz and Sloan Privat. Inspired by former professionals such as Camel Meriem and academy graduates Jérémy Ménez and Mevlüt Erdinç, he dedicated himself to intensive training. In 2007, he was part of the under-19 squad that won the Coupe Gambardella by beating Auxerre on penalties at Stade de France. This achievement paved the way for his promotion to Sochaux’s Championnat de France Amateur (CFA) team, where he featured in 32 games and scored three goals during the 2007–08 season.

Following that campaign, Martin signed a three-year professional contract and was promoted to Sochaux’s first team under Francis Gillot, receiving jersey number 26. He made his professional debut on 30 August 2008 against Marseille and secured his first starting position two weeks later against Toulouse. Throughout the season, he alternated between starting lineups and substitute appearances, netting his inaugural professional goal in a 3–0 victory over Monaco on 13 May 2009. He concluded the season with 30 appearances and one goal.

In the subsequent 2009–10 Ligue 1 season, with Romain Pitau’s departure creating an opportunity, Martin established himself as a regular starter in midfield. Early on, he provided assists and found the net against Nancy and Le Mans. On 21 January 2010, he extended his contract until 2014. His playmaking abilities flourished as he assisted crucial goals in wins over Lorient, Rennes, and Lille. Additionally, Martin contributed two goals in Sochaux’s progression to the Coupe de France quarter-finals after defeating amateur side Beauvais. By season’s end, he had tallied 40 appearances with four goals and four assists.

Martin’s responsibilities increased further during the 2010–11 season following Stéphane Dalmat’s exit as Sochaux’s chief playmaker. Adopting shirt number 14—a nod to his Parisian birthplace—he was positioned as Dalmat’s successor by Gillot. Early in the campaign, he scored against Saint-Étienne and delivered a highly acclaimed goal during a comprehensive 4–0 triumph over Nice. Forming productive partnerships with strikers Brown Ideye and Modibo Maïga as well as winger Nicolas Maurice-Belay, Martin provided numerous assists throughout the season. By January 2011, he led Ligue 1 with ten assists, including multiple contributions in victories against Arles-Avignon, Caen, and Rennes—the latter also featuring one of his goals. His style of play earned him the nickname "Little Xavi" among teammates due to his creative influence.

Acknowledged for his significant impact in midfield during that season, Martin was shortlisted for the UNFP Young Player of the Year award alongside Mamadou Sakho, Yann M'Vila, and André Ayew.

Lille

On 20 June 2012, Lille, a French football club, officially announced the signing of Martin on a five-year contract commencing 1 July, with the transfer fee remaining undisclosed.

Martin was loaned to newly promoted Ligue 1 team Dijon on 13 July 2016, after being excluded from Lille coach Frédéric Antonetti’s plans. Following his loan spell, Martin returned to Lille but was released by the club on 11 August 2017.

Reims

On 14 August 2017, Martin secured a one-year deal with Ligue 2 outfit Reims, which included an option to extend for two more years. He played a role in Reims clinching the 2017–18 Ligue 2 championship and achieving promotion to Ligue 1 for the 2018–19 campaign.

Later career

In 2019, Martin signed for FC Chambly, competing in Ligue 2, where he spent two seasons. He then moved to Hyères in 2021, participating in the Championnat National 2. Martin concluded his playing career at the close of the 2022–23 season.

International career

Initially not selected by youth national team coaches, Martin earned his first call-up to the France under-21 squad in November 2008 for a friendly against Denmark. Starting that match, he was substituted after 61 minutes in a 1–0 victory. He remained part of the squad during the qualification campaign, although France did not qualify for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, marking the end of his under-21 tenure. On 26 May 2011, after an impressive season with Sochaux, Martin received a call-up from Laurent Blanc to join the senior national team for June fixtures against Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland. Describing this opportunity as "a dream," he debuted for the senior side on 6 June as a substitute in a match against Ukraine that ended in a 1–1 draw. In that game, Martin scored twice and provided an assist, contributing to France’s eventual 4–1 win. His two goals on debut placed him among an elite group of French internationals—including Jean Vincent, Zinedine Zidane, and Bafétimbi Gomis—to achieve such a feat.

Managerial career

On 28 March 2024, Martin took on the role of assistant coach at Hyères, a club where he had previously played prior to ending his playing career.

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sochaux	2008–09	Ligue 1	27	1	3	0	—		30	1
	2009–10	Ligue 1	36	2	4	2	—		40	4
	2010–11	Ligue 1	37	3	4	1	—		41	4
	2011–12	Ligue 1	33	2	1	0	2	0	36	2
	Total		133	8	12	3	2	0	147	11
Lille	2012–13	Ligue 1	32	0	6	0	7	0	45	0
	2013–14	Ligue 1	20	0	2	0	—		22	0
	2014–15	Ligue 1	6	0	0	0	2	0	8	0
	2015–16	Ligue 1	12	0	3	0	—		15	0
	Total		70	0	11	0	9	0	90	0
Lille B	2013–14	CFA	2	0	—		—		2	0
	2014–15	CFA	3	0	—		—		3	0
	2015–16	CFA 2	3	0	—		—		3	0
	Total		8	0	—		—		8	0
Dijon (loan)	2016–17	Ligue 1	12	0	1	0	—		13	0
Reims	2017–18	Ligue 2	16	1	2	0	—		18	1
	2018–19	Ligue 1	13	0	0	0	—		13	0
	Total		29	1	2	0	—		31	1
Chambly	2019–20 Ligue 2	Ligue 2	6	0	0	0	—		6	0
	2020–21 FC Chambly Oise season	Ligue 2	4	0	0	0	—		4	0
	Total		10	0	0	0	—		10	0
FC Chambly Oise B	2019–20 Championnat National 3	Championnat National 3	2	0	—		—		2	0
Hyères FC	2021–22 Championnat National 2	Championnat National 2	18	1	0	0	—		18	1
	2022–23 Championnat National 2	National 2	4	0	1	0	—		5	0
	Total		22	1	1	0	—		23	1
Career total			286	10	27	3	11	0	324	13

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Appearances	Goals
France	2011	9	2
	2012	6	0
Total		15	2

France's score appears first; the score column reflects the match score immediately following each goal scored by Martin

Detailed list of Marvin Martin's international goals

No.	Date	Location	Opponent	Score after goal	Final score	Match type
1	6 June 2011	Donbas Arena, Donetsk, Ukraine	Template:Fb	1–2	1–4	Friendly
2				1–4

Honours

Lille

• Runner-up in the Coupe de la Ligue: 2015–16

Reims

• Champions of Ligue 2: 2017–18