1. Overview
Martin Valjent (born December 11, 1995) is a Slovak professional footballer who primarily plays as a centre-back for La Liga club RCD Mallorca and the Slovakia national team. His career began in his home country before a significant move to Italy, where he developed his skills. He later established himself as a key player in Spain, notably contributing to Mallorca's promotion to La Liga. Despite his consistent performance at the club level, his recent absence from the national team has been a subject of significant media speculation and discussion, raising questions about selection criteria.
2. Early Life and Club Beginnings
Martin Valjent was born on December 11, 1995, in Dubnica nad Váhom, Trenčín Krai, Slovakia. He began his professional football career in 2012, making his debut with domestic club FK Dubnica in the Slovakian second division during the 2012-13 season. At the age of 17, Valjent moved to Italy in the summer of 2013, joining Serie B club Ternana Calcio.
3. Club Career
Martin Valjent's club career has seen him progress through Italian and Spanish football, establishing himself as a reliable central defender.
3.1. Ternana
After joining Ternana Calcio in 2013, Valjent spent four seasons with the Italian Serie B club. He became a key player for Ternana, making 76 appearances and scoring 2 goals over this period. In the summer of 2017, Valjent signed with A.C. ChievoVerona, a Serie A club. However, he was immediately loaned back to Ternana for the 2017-18 season, where he continued to be a crucial part of the squad, making an additional 38 appearances and scoring 3 goals. His total appearances for Ternana reached 114, with 5 goals.
3.2. Mallorca
In August 2018, Valjent moved to RCD Mallorca, a prominent team in the Spanish second division, on a loan deal. During the 2018-19 season, he made 33 appearances for Mallorca. He played a significant role in the team's success, helping them secure a fifth-place finish in the Segunda División, which led to their qualification for the promotion playoffs. Mallorca subsequently defeated Deportivo de La Coruña in the final of the playoffs, achieving promotion to La Liga for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Following his impactful loan spell, Mallorca made a substantial investment by purchasing Valjent for 1.50 M EUR on June 27, 2019, making his move permanent. Despite Mallorca's relegation from La Liga back to the second division in the 2019-20 season, Valjent's performance remained consistent. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 victory against CD Tenerife on October 3, 2020. Valjent demonstrated his strong dedication to the club in February 2021 when he extended his contract until 2025. His commitment was further solidified in January 2025, when his contract was prolonged for another four years, committing him to the club until 2029. Overall, Valjent has become an integral part of Mallorca's defense, playing a pivotal role in their promotions and maintaining their presence in top-tier Spanish football.
4. International Career
Martin Valjent has represented Slovakia at various levels of international football, from youth teams to the senior national squad.
4.1. Youth National Teams
Valjent's international career began with the Slovak youth squads. He was first called up to the Slovakia U-19 national team in 2014, making 14 appearances and scoring 2 goals. From 2015 to 2017, he represented the Slovakia U-21 national team, accumulating 23 appearances and scoring 2 goals. During this period, he notably participated in the UEFA U-21 European Championship 2017 held in Poland.
4.2. Senior National Team
Valjent received his first call-up to the Slovakia senior national team from manager Ján Kozák sr. in May 2018 for friendly matches against the Netherlands and Morocco. This opportunity arose due to injuries sustained by fellow defenders Norbert Gyömbér and Lukáš Štetina. He made his senior international debut on June 4, 2018, against Morocco in Geneva, replacing Tomáš Hubočan in the 79th minute of the match.
His first competitive start for the national team came on September 6, 2019, in a Euro 2020 qualifying fixture against Croatia in Trnava. Valjent played out of his preferred position as a right-back in this match, which Slovakia unfortunately lost 4-0. Later, in October 2019, Valjent returned to the national team for a friendly match against Paraguay, playing in his preferred centre-back position. His performance was widely praised, notably by RTVS commentary expert Marián Zeman, during a farewell game for legendary Slovak players Martin Škrtel, Hubočan, and Adam Nemec. This match, which ended in a 1-1 draw, also marked the national team's return to Tehelné pole after a decade. On August 26, 2020, Valjent was included in the squad for the opening matches of the UEFA Nations League against the Czech Republic and Israel.
5. Playing Style
Martin Valjent primarily plays as a centre-back, utilizing his strong defensive capabilities and tactical understanding to protect his team's goal. He is right-footed, which influences his play and distribution from the back. Standing at 74 in (187 cm) and weighing 154 lb (70 kg), he possesses a physical presence that contributes to his effectiveness in aerial duels and challenges. While his preferred position is central defense, he has demonstrated versatility by playing as a right-back when required, although he has acknowledged facing challenges when defending out wide. His professionalism and positive attitude are noted by national team managers, underscoring his disciplined approach to the game.
6. Career Statistics
Martin Valjent's professional career statistics for both his club and international appearances are detailed below.
6.1. Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dubnica | 2012-13 | 2. liga | 14 | 0 | - | - | 14 | 0 | ||
| Ternana | 2013-14 | Serie B | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | |
| 2014-15 | Serie B | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 37 | 0 | ||
| 2015-16 | Serie B | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | 27 | 2 | ||
| 2016-17 | Serie B | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 35 | 0 | ||
| Total | 76 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 2 | ||
| Chievo | 2018-19 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| Ternana (loan) | 2017-18 | Serie B | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | 39 | 3 | |
| Mallorca (loan) | 2018-19 | Segunda División | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Mallorca | 2019-20 | La Liga | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 37 | 0 | |
| 2020-21 | Segunda División | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2021-22 | La Liga | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2022-23 | La Liga | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2023-24 | La Liga | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2024-25 | La Liga | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| Total | 208 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 227 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 336 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 361 | 6 | ||
6.2. International
Appearances and goals by national team and year
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | |
7. Assessment and Controversy
Despite consistently performing at a high level for RCD Mallorca in La Liga, Martin Valjent has faced a notable and unexplained exclusion from the Slovak national team since 2022. This situation has led to intensive speculation within Slovak media regarding the reasons behind his continued absence. Journalists and fans alike have questioned why a player demonstrating such reliability and quality in one of Europe's top leagues is not being considered for national duty.
The national team's manager, Francesco Calzona, has repeatedly refused to elaborate on the specific reasons for Valjent's non-selection. While Calzona has acknowledged Valjent's professionalism and positive attitude, his silence on the matter has only fueled further conjecture. This ongoing situation highlights a perplexing discrepancy between Valjent's club form and his international career, suggesting potential underlying issues or undisclosed factors influencing national team selections. The lack of transparency surrounding Valjent's exclusion has raised questions about the fairness and criteria of player selection within the Slovak national football setup.