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Adriana Martín: “Espanyol is home for me”
Femení striker talks Espanyol, playing in the US and the number 21
It is said that home is where the heart is, which explains why Adriana Martín has returned to RCD Espanyol after 12 years away.
The striker first joined the Club in back in 2005, going on to have four successful years which included winning the Copa de la Reina. Now back in the blanquiazul shirt having rejoined last year, the strength of the feeling is certainly strong.
Speaking to Espanyol Media, Adriana said, “Espanyol is home for me. It's a feeling, it's my life, it's my style of understanding the sport. I had that little thorn in me of having left and I really wanted to come back, so when the opportunity arose, and I didn't have to think twice.”
While she has spent the majority of her career in her native Spain, Adriana is no stranger to playing abroad. She played in the United States across three years with Sky Blue FC – now known as NJ/NY Gotham FC – and on two separate occasions with Western New York Flash.
On her time in the US, she said, “It was my dream because I knew that the best players in the world were there. It was a very nice experience because I was able to experience first-hand what it was like to feel like a professional playing football.
“Footballers there are superstars, they fill stadiums, and it was one of my nicest playing experiences.”
The most significant number for pericos is 21, in honour of the late Dani Jarque who wore that number during his blanquiazul career. So when Adriana joined Chelsea in 2012 and had to select a shirt number, it proved to be a simple decision.
“I had the opportunity to wear the number 21 in honour of our captain Dani Jarque,” Adriana explained, “and also to explain a bit to my teammates about why I chose that number, why that feeling exists. It was something special, something magical for me.”
This season is the striker’s first full campaign at Espanyol since returning in 2021, as the Femení chase promotion back to the Primera División Feminina. In what is her seventh year overall at the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque, there is as much optimism as expectation.
Adriana said, “We are all very clear that the aim is to get promoted. We are a group that is very united, despite the fact that we have not yet got the results we want. However, we have a group that is very ambitious, very competitive.
“I fully trust the team, my teammates, that the results are going to come. The aim on a personal and a collective level is clear, which is to get promoted to the First Division.”
The full interview will be available to watch across all club platforms on Friday, ahead of Espanyol Media’s coverage of Espanyol Femení’s match against Real Oviedo Femenino on Saturday.