Pablo Marí


Pablo Marí Villar is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Arsenal.

Club career

Mallorca

Born in Almussafes, Valencian Community, Marí was a product of RCD Mallorca's youth system. He made his debut as a senior with the reserves at the age of just 17, going on to spend several seasons in the third division.
Marí made his first appearance with the first team on 7 December 2011, playing 30 minutes in a 2–2 draw against Granada CF after coming off the bench for fellow youth graduate Pedro Bigas. On 5 May 2012 he played his second La Liga game, again acting as a substitute in a 1–0 home win over Levante UD.
Marí continued to be almost exclusively associated with the B-side until the end of his spell in the Balearic Islands.

Gimnàstic

On 2 September 2013, Marí signed a contract with Gimnàstic de Tarragona also in the third level. He made his debut for the Catalans on 12 October, starting and conceding a penalty in a 2–2 draw at CD Olímpic de Xàtiva.
Marí scored his first goal for Nàstic on 1 December 2013, the winner in a 2–1 home victory against Levante UD B. On 25 June 2015, after achieving promotion to Segunda División, he signed a new three-year deal with the club.
Marí scored his first professional goal on 30 August 2015, netting his team's first in a 2–1 away defeat of CD Tenerife.

Manchester City

On 15 August 2016, Marí was transferred to Premier League side Manchester City. A day later, he was loaned to Girona FC in a season-long deal.
In the following two campaigns, still owned by City, Marí played with NAC Breda and Deportivo de La Coruña.

Flamengo

On 11 July 2019, Marí signed with Clube de Regatas do Flamengo on a contact through 2022, for an approximate fee of €1.3 million. He became the third Spanish player for the Brazilian club, after goalkeeper Talladas in the late 30s and forward José Ufarte in the 60s. He made his debut as a starter on 28 July in a Série A match against Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas at the Maracanã Stadium, a 3–2 win; he quickly established himself in the first team, with manager Jorge Jesus pairing him with Rodrigo Caio.
Marí scored his first goal for Mengão on 25 August 2019, with a volley inside the box in a 3–0 away victory over Ceará Sporting Club. His second in the league came on 7 September, this time with a header against Avaí FC in a 3–0 win at Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha. In November, he became the first Spaniard to win the Copa Libertadores, the major South American club competition.

Arsenal

On 29 January 2020, Marí joined English Premier League club Arsenal on loan until the end of the season, with an option for Arsenal to make the deal permanent in the summer. Arsenal's technical director Edu said: “Pablo is an experienced player who will provide us with additional defensive quality. We have been monitoring Pablo’s career for a while and we are very pleased to have reached agreement with Flamengo for him to join us initially until the end of our season." Mari made two appearances for Arsenal, a 2–0 FA Cup win at Portsmouth and a 1–0 Premier League win at home to West Ham, before the season was suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic.
On 17 June 2020, Mari was injured playing in a 0–3 defeat at Man City, a club he was once on the books of, in the first game of the league restart. Arsenal confirmed post-match he would miss the remainder of the season with a 'significant' ankle injury. Despite this injury, Arsenal announced on 24 June that Mari would join the club permanently for an undisclosed fee on 1 July, upon the opening of the summer transfer window.

Career statistics

Honours

Flamengo
Individual