Maarten Martens will start next season as trainer of Young AZ, it reports Noordhollands Dagblad Friday. The Belgian, an attacking midfielder in the AZ championship team in 2009, comes from Club Brugge’s youth academy. He acts in Bruges as trainer of the Under-18s and assistant coach of the U21 team, but will be Michel Vonk’s successor in Alkmaar from next season.
Martens ended his active career in 2016 and has been associated with Club training ever since. He experienced his heyday as a player at AZ. Between 2006 and 2014, after coming over from RKC Waalwijk, Martens played a total of 156 league matches for AZ, in which he scored 34 times. He was brought in by Louis van Gaal and won the national title and the Johan Cruijff Shield with the team in 2009. In 2013, the KNVB Cup was also added. However, serious knee injuries were also a common thread through his employment at AZ.
Martens switched to PAOK Saloniki in January 2014. He got no further than fifteen league matches and was loaned to Cercle Bruges, with which he was relegated. In August 2015 he terminated his contract in Thessaloniki and six months later the then clubless left leg decided to end his career. The now 36-year-old former attacker, nine-time international of Belgium, can be appointed at AZ because Vonk’s expiring contract is not extended. Martens will soon sign a multi-year contract as trainer of the current number seventeen of the Kitchen Champion Division.
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