Mick Martin

For similarly-named people, see Michael Martin (disambiguation) and Mike Martin (disambiguation).

Michael Paul Martin (born 9 July 1951) is an Irish former professional footballer, best known for his time at Manchester United, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United. He also represented the Republic of Ireland national football team more than 50 times.

Mick Martin

Personal information
Full name	Michael Paul Martin
Date of birth	(1951-07-09) 9 July 1951
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1968–1973	Bohemians
1973–1975	Manchester United	40	(2)
1975–1978	West Bromwich Albion	89	(11)
1978–1984	Newcastle United	147	(5)
1984	Vancouver Whitecaps	2	(0)
1984	Willington
1984–1985	Cardiff City	7	(0)
1985	Peterborough United	13	(0)
1985	Rotherham United	5	(0)
1985–1987	Preston North End	35	(0)
Total		338	(18)
International career
1971–1983	Republic of Ireland	51	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

A devoted Aston Villa supporter, he played his schoolboy football mainly at Home Farm before signing for Seán Thomas' Bohemians in 1968. He spent a year learning his trade in the youth team and "B" team before progressing to the first team, where he made his debut against Dundalk. He soon became a regular in the side, which competed at the top end of the table. When Martin excelled in a league match against Shelbourne in January 1973, the watching Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty liked what he saw and within 48 hours, Martin was on his way to Old Trafford. He spent two years at United before Johnny Giles took him to West Bromwich Albion in 1975. In 2023, Martin was announced as recipient of a winners medal for Manchester United who were the 1975 second division champions, following historian research and a reduction in the number of eligible games by the EFL. Martin moved to Newcastle United for £100,000 in 1978 and spent five years at the club, making 147 appearances and scoring five goals. He was nicknamed "Zico" by Newcastle fans for his free kick skills and pure football ability. He later played for Vancouver Whitecaps, Cardiff City, Peterborough United, Rotherham United and Preston North End. Internationally, he played for the Republic of Ireland, for whom he won a total of 51 caps. His first cap was against Austria in October 1971 and his last against Spain in April 1983.

After retiring as a player, Martin had spells on the coaching staff at Newcastle and under Liam Brady at Celtic. Martin was also a regular match summariser on Metro Radio and won a Sony Gold award with Magic 1152, along with Justin Lockwood, for the coverage of Alan Shearer's testimonial.

Personal life

His father, Con Martin, was also a Republic of Ireland international and played professionally for Aston Villa; his brother Con Martin Jnr played for Bohemians among others; and his nephew Owen Garvan last played for Colchester United.

Honours

Individual

• Newcastle United Player of the Year: 1981–82