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FILE PHOTO - Bayer Leverkusen introduces Carles Martinez Novell as its new head coach during a press conference. Anke Waelischmiller/dpa
New Bayer Leverkusen coach Carles Martínez is a true football addict which didn't even stop at his wedding.
"The invitation said: Don't forgot your football boots," Martínez said in an interview with Thursday edition of daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.
"We set up a small pitch and organized matches. Five v five, for a few minutes. I was wearing a suit and tie, captain's armband - and football boots," he recalled.
Martínez, 42, said he also missed the birth of his first child in 2024 because he was in Metz with his then French club Toulouse for a match while his wife was in labour in their native Spain.
He left Toulouse after three years to sign a two-year contract in Leverkusen in succession of Kasper Hjulmand, two years after compatriot Xabi Alonso led the German club to a historic unbeaten Bundesliga and German Cup double.
Martínez said he would like to coach in his home country one day, having coached youth teams of Granollors, Espanyol and Barcelona in the past.
"I am learning German," he said. "But my priority is having success with the club. We are playing Bundesliga, Europa League and German Cup.
Asked why he chose Germany, he added: "The competitive spirit, the intensity, the challenges. When a player has to decide whether to go in for a tackle or not, in Germany he usually goes for it. I like that mentality.
"The Bundesliga has a bit of a rock’n’roll feel to it. That’s exactly what I like."
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