Showing2026/27 seasonAll official competitions
Preferred Positions
Last 24 months · all competitions
CDM
Defensive midfieldMain
4,269 min · 68 apps · 44 starts
CM
Central midfield
3,668 min · 44 apps · 44 starts
Squad importance
Current squad importance over the club’s last 40 recorded competitive games in this spell, including previous seasons. Starts and minutes contribute 70%; performance contributes 30%. Absences reduce the score gradually, with less weight when a player is outside the matchday squad.Current role at Arsenal · independent of the season filter
Backup
Involvement40%
Performance40%
Through the match on 4 Nov 2026. Refreshed daily.
Profile
Career & playing style
Martín Zubimendi is a Spanish holding midfielder who helps his team move the ball forward while protecting the space behind its attacks. He checks his surroundings before receiving, offers passing options and looks for openings through midfield, combining control of possession with an eye for the next forward pass.
Born in San Sebastián on 2 February 1999, he played youth football for Antiguoko before developing at Real Sociedad. He worked through the club’s C and B teams and made his first-team debut in 2019, with Imanol Alguacil overseeing that step into the first team.
His development included working with Xabi Alonso at Real Sociedad B. Zubimendi has described learning how to position himself against different opponents, when to press and how to respond when pressed. By April 2021, he was starting alongside Mikel Merino in the delayed 2020 Copa del Rey final, helping Sociedad beat Athletic Club 1–0.
With Spain, his role in the EURO 2024 final showed how much a holding midfielder can influence an attack. He replaced Rodri at half-time in the 2–1 win over England. UEFA’s analysis highlighted how he and Fabián Ruiz received deeper, making it harder for England to press both without leaving passing routes open.
Zubimendi joined Arsenal in July 2025. His first season brought the 2025/26 Premier League title, ending the club’s 22-year wait to win the competition. He also came on in extra time in the Champions League final that May, when Arsenal drew 1–1 with Paris Saint-Germain before losing the penalty shootout.
In July 2026, he was part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad. Spain defeated Argentina 1–0 in the final in New York/New Jersey on 19 July, adding a world title to his European Championship success.
His value is often clearest in the moments around a pass. In Arsenal’s April 2026 Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP, UEFA highlighted his scanning and constant movement to receive. It also showed him covering behind Noni Madueke to intercept a counterattack, and, in another sequence, tracking a runner and blocking a cross in his own half: examples of the positioning that supports his passing game.