Real Salt Lake: A marvel with the ball, Burrito Martinez is a master of deception

Sandy • When Juan Manuel Martinez retweeted an old video earlier this week, it provided a grainy time-hop highlight to just how long the Argentine forward has been torturing defenders worldwide with his spur-of-the-moment flair.

Six years ago, the man known as "Burrito" ran onto a loose ball in the box with his first club, Vélez Sarsfield of Argentina's first division.

Martinez hopped over a defender attempting to slide and clear the ball, who whiffs. A feint movement propels Martinez forward while the same defender is beaten again, left to try and simply shove the future Real Salt Lake star over the end line.

Instead, Martinez motors on. Next up was the goalkeeper who tried to close down an already impossible angle. But Martinez made a complex move simple by scooping the ball up and over the keeper, who watched it plop in on the other side of the line. A freeze-frame moment before his shot showed Martinez surrounded by five defenders and the goalkeeper, all of whom he beat solo.

On that night six years ago, Martinez logged a hat trick against Atletico Colón in Vélez Sarsfield's 6-0 romp.

"I improvise," he said.

Throughout the first two months of RSL's 2016 season, Martinez has captivated viewers with the sort of daredevil dribbling style not often seen in Major League Soccer.

"He can do it with just crazy skills," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said. "I think his best thing is he likes to change pace, where he can slow down and then speed up and get past you. He's got a lot in his tool bag."

Even when Martinez paints himself into a corner along a sideline, he wiggles free unscathed. And he does so often, defying the odds when multiple defenders converge to strip him of the ball or knock him to the pitch.

"I never think about that," he said. "I just play and enjoy the game, you know? For me, it's normal. I've always played like this, and try to play like this every game."

In RSL's CONCACAF Champions League series against Tigres UANL, Martinez unlocked both Jürgen Damm and Israel Jimenez by sending the ball backward with his right foot and, in the blink of an eye, knocking it by both players with the his left heel.

A similar fate befell Orlando City defenders.

Then Colorado and Vancouver and Houston all followed, all trying to solve the riddle that Martinez lays on the opposition each night. The only person to figure out Martinez so far? RSL's director of media services, Tyler Gibbons, who has a front-row seat to Martinez's last-second moves that are ready-made for the weekly highlight reel.

"[Martinez] encapsulates the excitement that people wait 90 minutes for," Gibbons said.

That on-the-ball ability is what initially drew RSL's front office to Martinez, who was out-of-contract after two seasons at the most popular club in South America in Boca Juniors. General manager Craig Waibel said the staff studied tapes from the various leagues Martinez played in over the years, not just the Argentine first division. Other leagues were not as physical nor, as Waibel explains, "in-your-face" as MLS.

"Regardless of where he played, he was always able to demonstrate kind of that individual ability on the ball and creativity," Waibel said. "He's a unique player. There aren't many guys like him in the league that like to draw two defenders and not necessarily play out and around them. That's an element of courage and understanding in his own abilities."

Chris Wingert heard his old teammates mention "this guy called 'Burrito,' " after leaving RSL for New York City FC in 2015. Once he returned in early February, the defender got his initial look at Martinez in preseason camp in Tucson, Ariz. Wingert immediately phoned his dad back home in New York.

"I was telling him, 'This guy is one of the best players I've ever played with. He's the real deal,' " Wingert said.

Which goes a long way considering in his first year at NYCFC, Wingert played alongside World Cup champions such as David Villa and Andrea Pirlo. Martinez was, after all, named Argentine Footballer of the Year in 2010. He shared the award with a fairly familiar name: Lionel Messi.

But to freelance like Martinez does, he must be one step ahead more often than not. Against multiple defenders, a tricky few touches gone wrong can instantly spring an opponent's attack. An accompanying conversation, Cassar says, is to ensure Martinez unveil his hexes on defenders in the attacking third.

Soft-spoken and self-effacing when describing his rare ability, Martinez said after a training session this week that there was no need for him to be interviewed. He pointed out Javier Morales, Joao Plata, Yura Movsisyan and Kyle Beckerman.

Asked if he should be in that mix of the club's stars, Martinez simply responded, "No."

Is he sure?

"I'm really sure," he added.

Martinez might have defenders constantly fooled, but as his entrancing style of play continues to wow, it will be harder for him to convince those who watch otherwise.

ckamrani@sltrib.com

Twitter: @chriskamrani