Without doubt, one of the breakout stars of the 2022/23 LaLiga Santander season was Arnau Martínez, the youngster who dominated the right flank for Girona FC as the Catalan club finished 10th in their first year back in the top flight.
Arnau's reward for this stellar season has been inclusion on the list of candidates for the 2023 Golden Boy award and a spot in the Spain squad for the European Under-21 Championship.
Although he only just turned 20 years of age in April, Arnau has already made 97 appearances for Girona FC, the club where he has taken his first steps as a professional footballer. After debuting aged 17 in 2020/21, when Los Blanquivermells were competing at LaLiga SmartBank level, Arnau became a regular starter by the 2021/22 season, which ended with him scoring a decisive goal in the promotion playoffs final. After moving up to LaLiga Santander, the youngster demonstrated that he belongs at the top level.
Born just outside Barcelona in Premiá de Dalt, Arnau spent time in FC Barcelona's La Masia academy between the ages of seven and 13, even playing in the same team as Alejandro Balde, another of the best full-backs of 2022/23. He later moved to CE L'Hospitalet and then to Girona FC's academy, playing at centre-back throughout his youth career, rather than at right-back, his current position.
As he explained in an interview with Diario AS: "I played centre-back all my life, except for when I played for my local club as a striker when I was a young kid. When I arrived at Barça, they put me in central defence. Then, when I arrived at Girona FC, I also started at centre-back in a three-man defence, but when Míchel joined he moved me to full-back. Personally, I prefer the full-back position. You can get
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