Mario Martín

Key strength: Adaptability

Versatile player

In what may be the most improbable story of this La Liga season, Getafe CF sit second in the table—a position that defies every pre-season prediction and has José Bordalás's fierce collective punching miles above their weight. At the heart of this remarkable surge is Mario Martín, the 22-year-old Spanish defensive midfielder who has become the metronome keeping Getafe's ambitions ticking. Wearing the number 6 shirt with growing authority, Martín has been an ever-present force, logging 1,561 minutes across 27 appearances. His return of four goals from the base of midfield speaks to intelligent late runs and composure belying his years, while his solitary assist barely captures his true creative influence. Operating as a deep-lying playmaker, his exceptional ball retention provides the rhythmic foundation upon which the entire attack thrives. Yet this is no purely technical operator—his ten yellow cards reveal the combative edge necessary to survive Bordalás's demanding system. With a market value of €10 million and steadily climbing, Martín represents the profile Europe's elite increasingly covet: young, Spanish, tactically disciplined, and technically assured. In a Getafe side built on defensive steel, he is the quiet architect making the extraordinary seem routine.