Russell Martin

At 38 years old, Russell Martin has this physical status:

Russell Kenneth Alexander Martin (born 4 January 1986) is a football coach and former professional player, who is the manager of League One club Milton Keynes Dons. Martin played as a defender for Wycombe Wanderers, Peterborough United, Norwich City, Rangers and Walsall and Milton Keynes Dons.

He played in 29 internationals for Scotland.

Starting his career with Brighton, for whom he did not feature in a league match, Martin established himself at Wycombe Wanderers, for whom he made over 100 appearances.

Following a brief spell with Peterborough United, Martin joined Norwich City in 2010 and played an important part in the team's rise to the Premier League.

Personal life

Martin established a charitable foundation in his hometown of Brighton, initially set up as a football academy, named the Russell Martin Foundation. The charity aims to use "the power of football to help change people’s lives" by providing access to football, education, and health courses in the local community. Martin has been a vegan since 2014, initially for health reasons as he sought to manage issues with ulcerative colitis. He is also a part-owner of Erpingham House, the largest vegan restaurant in the UK. In a 2018 interview, he stated that he had joined the Green Party of England and Wales. He is also a proponent of Buddhism.

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Club career

Martin was born in Brighton, East Sussex, and was educated at Varndean School. He attended Brighton & Hove Albion's youth academy before leaving by mutual consent in early 2004 to join Lewes, the Isthmian League Division One South team. He then had trials with a variety of clubs, including Charlton Athletic.

Martin joined Wycombe Wanderers in 2004. He made his debut in a 2–1 home win over Cambridge United on August 7, 2004, then went on to make ten more appearances during the 2004–05 season. Martin signed a new two-year deal with the club ahead of the 2006–07 season. He appeared in the League Two semi-final against Stockport County, where Wycombe lost 2–1 on aggregate.

Martin moved to Peterborough United, who had just been promoted to League One, on May 29, 2008. He has been on a three-year deal. After taking over from Craig Morgan, Martin became the club's youngest ever captain. Martin captained the team to promotion to the Championship in his first season at Peterborough.

Martin joined Norwich City on loan following Mark Cooper's appointment as a replacement for Darren Ferguson in November 2009. On January 4, 2010, his transfer became permanent, and he joined Norwich on a 2+1-year deal. Martin scored his first goal for Norwich in the 3–1 loss to Doncaster Rovers, which was followed by a diving header on September 14, 2010. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Queens Park Rangers on January 1, 2011, as well as a last-minute equalizer against Cardiff City, prompting fans to call him "the Cafu of the Championship" or "the Norfolk Cafu" in honor of Cafu. In a season where he played every minute of every game, he was the runner up for the Norwich City Player of the Year award to winner Grant Holt on May 7, 2011.

Martin signed a new three-year contract in June 2012 after an exciting first season with Norwich, filling in well at center back during some games. Martin scored two goals against Manchester City on December 29, 2012, a 4-3 home loss. Martin agreed to a new three-year contract with the club on September 9, 2013. He was officially named captain on August 10, 2013 ten days after he was announced on August 10, 2013. Martin expressed his desire to take over management after his playing career, saying, "I would eventually love to come and lead Norwich."

Martin made his 200th appearance for Norwich against Brighton & Hove Albion on November 22, 2014. In a 3–3 draw, he scored Norwich's second goal. Norwich was promoted to the Premier League via the playoffs a year after their relegation, but they were relegated again after just one season in the top division. Martin won by 2–0 over Brighton and Hove Albion on April 21, 2017, his 300th appearance for Norwich. He signed a new deal with Norwich in July 2017, but he made only three first team appearances in the 2017–18 season.

Martin joined Scottish Premiership club Rangers on January 2018. In a 2–0 victory over Aberdeen on January 24, he made his competitive debut for the club. Martin was one of four players to play for Rangers for the first time in the game. In a 2–0 win over Hearts on February 24, 2018, he scored his first (and only) goal for Rangers.

Martin left Norwich City on August 31, 2018 after his deal was terminated by mutual consent following his loan with Rangers. He made 391 appearances for Norwich, placing him 22nd in the club's all-time appearance list.

In October 2018, Martin signed for Walsall in a player-coach role. He left by mutual consent in January 2019 for family reasons having made twelve appearances for the team.

Martin joined Milton Keynes Dons on a short-term contract until the end of the season, and he was instrumental in the club winning promotion on the final day of the season. Following boss Paul Tisdale's resignation on November 2, the following day, Martin was appointed as his replacement in his first managerial role, but later announced his resignation as a player to concentrate on the position.

International career

Martin, a boy from England, qualifies to play for Scotland through his Scottish father. He was selected in Scotland's Nations Cup matches against Wales and the Republic of Ireland on May 17, 2011, making his debut against Wales as a late replacement against Wales. Martin remarked before a match against Croatia in June 2013 that he was not recognized by Scottish taxi drivers transporting him for Scotland matches. Martin made his first competitive appearance for Scotland against Croatia, which Scotland beat Croatia 1–0, with Norwich City teammate Robert Snodgrass scoring the only goal.

Managerial career

Martin was named as the new permanent first-team manager of Milton Keynes Dons on Friday, following Paul Tisdale's departure as the club's first-year manager. Following his arrival, the club finished 19th in League One, with the season coming to an end early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Martin, as well as assistant Luke Williams, created a possession-based style of play at the club that attracted widespread praise. Martin's side won after a 56-pass pass on March 2, 2021, a new British record at the time. Only Manchester City and Barcelona had a higher average possession percentage in Europe at the end of the 2021–21 season than Martin's MK Dons. Despite mixed results throughout the season, his team continued to have the most touches in the opposition box in League One, finishing 13th in the league.

MK Dons revealed that Swansea City, who had requested to speak with Martin about the club's new manager, on July 31, 2021.

Martin was appointed head coach of Swansea City on August 1, 2021, after a three-year deal. He was scheduled six days before the 2021–22 Championship season's first game. Luke Williams, Matthew Gill, and Dean Thornton were among his employees.

In the EFL Cup, his first game in charge was a 2–1 away loss to Blackburn Rovers, which was followed by a 3–0 victory over Reading. At the Swansea.com Stadium, Martin's first home game was a 0–0 draw with Sheffield United. Swansea defeated Bristol City 1–0 in their first league game on August 20th. Martin won his first league game on August 20th. In the South Wales derby, Martin led Swansea to a 3–0 victory over Cardiff City. Swansea defeated Cardiff 4–0 in the reverse fixture earlier this season, becoming the first team to win the league double in the derby's 110-year history. "I haven't felt as emotional as this after a game," Martin said, "to watch the backroom staff and the players enjoy that with the supporters was the best moment I've had as a boss I'd say."

Swansea finished 15th in the league in his first season with the club.

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