Christian Martinez, who has spent the past two years with Ironi Kiryat Shmona, received FIFA's official Man of the Match award after Panama lost 1-0 to Croatia at the 2026 World Cup and was eliminated from contention for the next round. The unusual recognition went to a player on the losing side even as the tournament moved toward the end of the second round of group matches.
Martinez started for Panama and played the full 90 minutes. He completed 22 of 31 passes, made three recoveries and won four of seven ground duels, showing constant activity across midfield.
Spanish journalist Jonay Amaro praised him highly, saying that as the minutes passed, Martinez kept running and “wiped out” Joško Gvardiol and even Ivan Perišić, who knows him better, and called him “one of the best defensive midfielders in the World Cup.” On the Futbol Centroamérica account, he was described as so good that he made people forget about injured teammates and was “the big winner” in Panama’s midfield.
Journalist Gian Franco Zelia also said Martinez, who plays for Ironi Kiryat Shmona in Israel, is already being linked with major European clubs and “may be on his way to a big transfer” after the tournament. Martinez had played 63 minutes in Panama’s 1-0 loss to Ghana in the opening round and is expected to start again against England in Panama’s final World Cup match, after which he is likely to focus on his next career move.
