Alonso Martínez now 3rd on NYCFC's all-time goal-scorer list

Alonso Martínez reached another milestone over the weekend when he scored the game-winner against FC Cincinnati. It was his 14th league goal of the 2025 Major League Soccer season, and his 30th since joining New York City FC in 2023.

With that, Martínez passed Maxi Moralez (29 goals) to climb into 3rd Place on NYCFC's list of leading regular season goal scorers, trailing only club legends David Villa (77 goals) and Taty Castellanos (50 goals).

It's a remarkable ascension for a player who was signed as a depth-piece winger. Martínez joined NYCFC on a free transfer from City Football Group sister club Lommel SK in Belgium's second division. Martínez scored eight goals in all competitions over two seasons with Lommel, a number that didn't exactly turn heads at the time.

New York City FC | All-Time Goals

MLS regular season only

Frankly, he looked to be New York City's least-promising signing at the time. Sporting director David Lee spent heavily during that busy summer, bringing in striker Mounsef Bakrar for a reported $2 million, winger Julián Fernandez for a reported $5 million, central defender Birk Risa for a reported $1 million, and midfielder Andrés Perera on loan for $300,000 in General Allocation Money. (Perea was permanently signed the following year for additional GAM that could reach $800,000.) On top of that, Maxi Moralez returned to NYCFC on a free transfer.

At the time, it was clear that it was the first-division players who reportedly cost more than $8 million in transfer fees – plus Maxi – who would lead the club, not a bargain-bin winger like Martínez.

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Hudson River BlueAndrew Leigh

Alonso's slow burn

Fast-forward to the present day, and Martínez isn't just the focal point of New York City's attack; he's one of the most potent strikers in all of Major League Soccer.

It didn't happen overnight. Martínez played just 30 minutes in the 2023 season, making three appearances off the bench. He remained on the bench for the start of the 2024 season, replacing Hannes Wolf in the 67th minute in a 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati on March 23 in Matchday 5. Then-head coach Nick Cushing brought on Martínez out of desperation because of a weak lineup — the game took place during an international break, and seven First Team players were either away with their national teams or suspended. But Martínez made the most of his 23 minutes on the field, placing two shots on target and almost stealing a result against a Cincinnati that fully deserved the win.

A number of First Team players were also unavailable for the following game at Inter Miami on March 30, including Jovan Mijatović and Talles Magno. Martínez got his first MLS start in that match — and scored his first MLS goal — while playing on the wing. His 34th-minute equalizer earned NYCFC a point on the road in the 1-1 draw, and made a case for Martínez to get regular minutes with the squad.

But Bakrar was still the presumptive striker. Behind him on the depth chart was Mijatović, who was signed for a reported $10 million fee, and Talles Magno, who was out of favor but who nevertheless spent much of the 2022 and 2023 season playing striker, and who New York City signed in 2021 for a reported $8 million. Martínez was getting playing time, sometimes as a starter and sometimes off the bench, but always on the wing.

Martínez scored his first game-winner against FC Charlotte in Matchday 10 on April 27, 2024, finishing a lofted cross from Santiago Rodríguez with a clean first touch. (Incidentally, that game remains NYCFC's one and only win over Charlotte.) Then Martínez earned his first start at striker two games later, on Matchday 12 in the 3-2 away win over Toronto FC that finished with ugly on-field confrontations that resulted in suspensions handed to one NYCFC player, three Toronto players, and Toronto head coach John Herdman. He was quiet that night, but scored his first goal as a starting striker in the following 2-1 win over Philadelphia Union in Matchday 13 at Subaru Park when he finished a fast-paced counterattack started by Rodríguez in the 2nd minute of the game.

Alonso Martinez | Goals Scored by Matchday

But the striker position didn't yet belong to Martínez. Mijatović started the following game against New York Red Bulls, then was lifted for Bakarar, who scored the game-winner. Two weeks later, Mijatović got the start again against San Jose Earthquakes in Matchday 16. This time, he was replaced by Martínez, who scored the fastest hat-trick in club history with goals in the 85th, 90+2nd, and 90+5th minutes to seal the 5-1 win.

Despite that record-setting performance, it would take another month until Martínez made the striker position his. That happened on Matchday 21, when he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over CF Montréal on July 3, 2024. Martínez became the team's first-choice striker that night, going on to score another eight times in the season's remaining 14 games to finish the year with 16 goals.

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Hudson River BlueAndrew Leigh

$18 million misspent?

It took most of the 2024 season before the club embraced – or maybe accepted? – that Martínez was the team's best choice at striker. Or, to look at it another way, the front office thought long and hard before giving the marquee role to a player picked up for nothing over Bakrar, Mijatović, and Talles Magno, three stars-in-the-making added for a reported $18 million.

Tactically, playing Martínez at striker is an obvious choice: He's considerably better at the position than any of the other contenders. Financially, it's a lot more complicated.

Until Etihad Park opens in 2027, New York City's greatest source of income comes from buying promising young players that are developed and then sold at a profit. Bakrar was signed at the age of 21, Mijatović at 18, and Talles Magno at 18. All three of them were brought to New York City to compete, improve, and hopefully move to a European team for a fee that's considerably larger than what was originally paid. But it's tough to sell players who don't score because they aren't playing, and who aren't playing because they've been supplanted by a converted winger in his mid-20s who came out of nowhere and is simply better at the job.

The model for Bakrar, Mijatović, and Talles Magno was Taty Castellanos, who joined NYCFC in 2018 at the age of 19. He won the Golden Boot three years later in 2021, led the attack that won the MLS Cup that same year, went on loan to Girona FC in 2022, and then signed with SS Lazio in 2023 for a reported $20 million fee in 2023 at the age of 24. His goal tally rose with his market value, making him a win-win for the club: First came silverware, then came a wire transfer for $20 million.

It didn't work out for Bakrar, Mijatović, and Talles Magno. Talles Magno was the first to depart when he left last August on loan to Corinthians in Brazil’s Série A. Mijatović followed after the end of the 2024 season, when he was loaned to OH Leuven in Belgium's first division. And Bakrar left earlier this summer, when he joined Dynamo Zagreb for an undisclosed fee that's rumored to be in the range of $1 million.

Martínez didn't prevent Bakrar, Mijatović, and Talles Magno from following the same path as Castellanos — they did that to themselves. But the sheer size of their price tags meant that they were given every possible opportunity to redeem themselves. They weren't just players; they were investments that were meant to keep the club's finances afloat. It goes a long way to explain why Talles Magno was pushed into an attacking role that never really suited him, why Bakrar was given chance after chance despite failing to score, and why Mijatović was given starts over Martínez despite looking lost in front of goal.

Martínez not only had to outplay those three, but he also had to convince the front office that the organization's best option was to eat $18 million in transfer fees and let a repurposed forward from Belgium's second division lead the attack of a club valued at $1 billion by Sportico and $875 million by Forbes. It took until Matchday 21 for that to happen, and Martínez hasn't looked back since.

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Still El Cliníco?

Which brings us to 2025, the first full season that has Martínez as the write-his-name-in-Sharpee starting striker for New York City. He not only has the most goals for the club among any active player, he's the most efficient goal-scorer in NYCFC history. His 0.77 goals per game is slightly ahead of David Villa's 0.71, and well beyond the 0.56 of Castellanos.

This remains true despite Martínez underperforming his xG this year. If you go by the numbers, Martínez should have 17 or 18 goals right now, not just 14, and looking to further extend a new personal best. He should be higher on the list than he is today.

New York City FC | Single Season Goals

MLS regular season only

But the striker has a knack for hitting hot streaks — he scored five goals in five games last fall, and now has six goals in his last six MLS appearances. His 0.63 goals per game this season is comparable to the 0.62 goals per game Castellanos logged in 2021, when he scored 19 times to win the Golden Boot.

If that happens, could a club come knocking next year and offer enough for the 26-year-old to make the front office once again give up the team's best scoring threat? It's possible, but unlikely. Earlier this year, Martínez signed a contract extension that keeps him with the club through 2027 with options for 2028 and 2029. Sometimes, that sort of deal leads to a sale: A club can demand more for a player that it has under contract for the next several years. But sometimes, a long-term agreement is just what it claims to be, namely a commitment between a player and a club that see the value in sticking together.

In other words, a contract like this one is another way to put a ring on it. Which is good news for NYCFC fans watching Martínez climb the list of the club's all-time leading scorers.

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Hudson River BlueHudson River Blue Staff