When Atlanta United signed Gonzalo Martinez a little over a year ago, there was obvious and enormous excitement for what the Argentine could bring to the Five Stripes and Major League Soccer. You could have made a very strong argument that he was the biggest coup in league history: a high-level player arriving in MLS in the midst of their prime.
Since that time, ‘Pity’ Martinez has underwhelmed slightly. The 2018 South American Player of the Year had huge expectations to live up to, so anything other than a sensational first season in Georgia would have been seen as a disappointment, but given his stature and perceived quality, there were growing doubts over his commitment and application throughout his first year in MLS.