Martín Zubimendi was named this week among Spain's 26 players for the World Cup after a debut campaign at Arsenal that ended with the club winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
Signed from Real Sociedad last summer for 70 million euros, Zubimendi finished the season as one of Arsenal's most used men: he played 56 matches across all competitions, logged 4,269 minutes, scored six goals — a career high — and provided three assists. His 56 appearances set a new club benchmark for an Arsenal first season, one more than the 55 matches Pat Jennings managed in 1977-78.
On the field in the final league game, Zubimendi turned up as an improvised right-back in Arsenal's 1-2 win over Crystal Palace, completing 55 of 67 passes, making three clearances and three recoveries and winning two duels. Across the campaign he was Arsenal's third-most-used player and, by one published tally, became only the second debutant to win the Premier League while playing every match — a feat previously recorded by Jens Lehmann in 2003-04.
But the season was not without strain. Zubimendi was a substitute in eight of his 56 appearances for the club and, in the run-in, he came off the bench in four of Arsenal's last five matches. Speaking about the toll the year took, he acknowledged that he had pushed himself harder than before and that it showed: he said he had made efforts this year that he had not been making, that the season had been demanding and very long, and that those efforts had taken their toll on him. He added that he had not arrived at 100 percent physically at the end of the season and that, although recently he had not been chosen, he is preparing to be a starter again and feels well after a more relaxed month.
The contrast between two facts is the story's friction: Zubimendi is being framed among a rare group of debutants who have claimed a Premier League title while playing across the campaign, yet managers used him increasingly from the bench as the season closed. His own comments underline the reason for the split — physical wear and tactical adjustments — but they also underline his urgency about reclaiming a starting place. He told teammates and media that he still sees himself as a starter and that he has been preparing to be one again.
The World Cup call-up gives Zubimendi a different immediate challenge. He now joins Spain's 26-man squad for the tournament, while his club carries a separate assignment: Arsenal travel this Saturday to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. That match would present Zubimendi with the chance to make a 57th appearance in his first Arsenal season and to add a European crown to a campaign that already delivered domestic glory.
The salient question for Arsenal and for Spain is whether Zubimendi will begin that Champions League tie and how the club will balance his minutes ahead of the World Cup. His season numbers — 56 matches, 4,269 minutes, six goals and three assists — argue both for his importance and for the need to manage him carefully. For Zubimendi himself, the personal aim is plain: recover fully, return to the starting XI and carry the form that helped break a 22-year title drought into the summer's biggest stage.
