Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami have signed Venezuelan international striker Josef Martinez from Atlanta United, the club said on Wednesday.
Martinez, 29, scored 111 goals in 158 games during six years with Atlanta in all competitions and was the league’s top scorer in 2018 when he scored 31 goals in the club’s title-winning campaign.
The striker, who has 13 goals in 60 appearances for his country, will effectively replace Argentine Gonzalo Higuain in the Miami attack after the former Real Madrid forward retired at the end of last season.
“Josef is a champion and adding him to our group is exciting for us as we head into the 2023 season. He’s been one of the best players in the league since he first arrived and we believe he’ll make a difference here at Inter Miami,” said Inter’s sporting director Chris Henderson.
“We’re adding a proven goalscorer with a track record of success in MLS. We’re thrilled to have a player like Josef in our attack,” he added.
Miami, co-owned by David Beckham and coached by his former Manchester United team-mate Phil Neville, are looking to improve on last season’s campaign where they went out in the first round of the playoffs after finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference.
