1. Early Life and Background
Pablo Marí Villar was born on 31 August 1993, in Almussafes, a municipality located in the Valencian Community of Spain. He began his football journey within the youth academy of RCD Mallorca, where he developed his skills as a defender. At the age of 17, he made his senior debut with the reserve team, spending several seasons competing in the Segunda División B, the third tier of Spanish football.
2. Club Career
Pablo Marí's professional club career has seen him traverse various leagues and countries, marked by transfers, loan spells, and significant contributions to different teams.
2.1. Mallorca
Marí's first appearance with Mallorca's first team came on 7 December 2011, when he played for 30 minutes in a 2-2 draw against Granada CF in La Liga, coming off the bench to replace fellow youth graduate Pedro Bigas. He made his second La Liga appearance on 5 May 2012, again as a substitute, in a 1-0 home victory over Levante UD. Despite these first-team appearances, Marí remained primarily associated with Mallorca's B-side for the remainder of his spell in the Balearic Islands.
2.2. Gimnàstic de Tarragona
On 2 September 2013, Marí signed a contract with Gimnàstic de Tarragona, a club also competing in the Segunda División B. He made his debut for the Catalan side on 12 October, starting a match against CD Olímpic de Xàtiva that ended in a 2-2 draw, where he conceded a penalty. Marí scored his first goal for Nàstic on 1 December 2013, netting the winning goal in a 2-1 home victory against Levante UD B. Following the club's promotion to the Segunda División, he extended his commitment by signing a new three-year deal on 25 June 2015. His first professional goal came on 30 August 2015, when he scored his team's opening goal in a 2-1 away defeat to CD Tenerife.
2.3. Manchester City
On 15 August 2016, Marí was transferred to English Premier League club Manchester City. However, he did not make a senior appearance for the club during his tenure, as he was immediately sent out on a series of loan spells.
2.3.1. Girona FC (loan)
Just one day after joining Manchester City, Marí was loaned to Girona FC for the duration of the 2016-17 season. He played in the Spanish second tier during this period.
2.3.2. NAC Breda (loan)
For the 2017-18 season, Marí moved to Dutch club NAC Breda on another loan spell from Manchester City. During his time in the Eredivisie, he was appointed as the team captain, highlighting his leadership qualities.
2.3.3. Deportivo de La Coruña (loan)
Marí's third loan spell while under contract with Manchester City was with Deportivo de La Coruña in the Spanish second tier for the 2018-19 campaign.
2.4. Flamengo
On 11 July 2019, Pablo Marí made a permanent move to Brazilian club Flamengo, signing a contract that would keep him at the club until 2022. The transfer fee was approximately 1.30 M EUR, equivalent to 5.50 M BRL. Marí became the third Spanish player in Flamengo's history, following goalkeeper Talladas in the late 1930s and forward José Ufarte in the 1960s.
He made his debut for Flamengo as a starter on 28 July in a Série A match against Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas at the iconic Maracanã Stadium, which Flamengo won 3-2. Marí quickly established himself as a key player in the first team, forming a strong defensive partnership with Rodrigo Caio under manager Jorge Jesus.
Marí scored his first goal for Mengão on 25 August 2019, with a volley inside the box during a 3-0 away victory over Ceará Sporting Club. His second league goal came on 7 September, a header against Avaí FC in another 3-0 win at Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha. In November of the same year, he made history by becoming the first Spanish player to win the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club competition in South American football. Notably, Marí garnered attention for wearing the number 24 shirt in the Copa Libertadores, a number that is subject to a homophobic taboo in Brazil.
2.5. Arsenal
On 29 January 2020, Marí joined English Premier League club Arsenal on a loan deal until the end of the season, with an option for Arsenal to make the transfer permanent. Arsenal's technical director, Edu, commented on the signing, stating that Marí was an experienced player who would add defensive quality and that the club had been monitoring his career for some time. Marí made two appearances for Arsenal before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic: a 2-0 FA Cup win away at Portsmouth and a 1-0 Premier League victory at home against West Ham.
On 17 June 2020, in Arsenal's first game after the league restart, a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, Marí sustained a "significant" ankle injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Despite this injury, Arsenal announced on 24 June that Marí would join the club permanently on 1 July for an undisclosed fee, upon the opening of the summer transfer window.
He scored his first goal for Arsenal on 3 December 2020, in a 4-1 home win over Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League. During the 2021-22 season, his playing time decreased, partly due to the arrival of Ben White. Marí made a total of 28 appearances for Arsenal. He also appeared in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club's activities during the 2021-22 season. On 20 December 2021, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Marí had tested positive for COVID-19.
2.5.1. Udinese (loan)
On 20 January 2022, Marí joined Serie A club Udinese on loan until the end of the 2021-22 season. He continued to wear the number 22 shirt, which he had also worn at Arsenal.
2.5.2. Monza (loan)
On 11 August 2022, Marí was loaned to newly promoted Serie A side Monza. The loan agreement included an obligation to buy under certain conditions. He made his debut for Monza on 14 August, starting in a 2-1 Serie A defeat to Torino.
2.6. Monza
On 4 May 2023, Monza secured Pablo Marí on a permanent deal. This move was triggered after Monza activated his release clause, following their successful achievement of Serie A safety with a 1-1 draw at home against Roma. The permanent transfer was officially confirmed on 30 June 2023.
2.7. Fiorentina
On 28 January 2025, Marí signed a permanent deal with fellow Italian club Fiorentina. His transfer to Fiorentina marked a reunion with his former manager at Monza, Raffaele Palladino.
3. Personal Life
Pablo Marí is married to Veronica Chacon, and together they have a son named Pablo Jr., who was born in 2018.
3.1. Stabbing Incident
On 27 October 2022, Pablo Marí was involved in a stabbing incident at a Carrefour supermarket in Assago, Metropolitan City of Milan, Italy. He was stabbed in the back and sustained deep wounds, but was conscious and not in a serious condition when taken to the hospital. Adriano Galliani, Monza's CEO, confirmed that Marí's life was not in danger and that he was expected to recover quickly. The attack resulted in the death of one man and injuries to four other individuals. The perpetrator was identified as a man with mental health problems. Following the incident, on 30 October, players from his former club Arsenal displayed Marí's jersey before their league match and again after scoring their first goal, as a gesture of support for the recovering defender. Marí underwent muscle reconstruction surgery and was discharged from the hospital on 30 October.
4. Career Statistics
As of 23 February 2025, Pablo Marí's career statistics are as follows:
Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Mallorca B | 2010-11 | Segunda División B | 19 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 19 | 1 | ||||
2011-12 | Segunda División B | 22 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 22 | 1 | |||||
2012-13 | Segunda División B | 28 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 28 | 1 | |||||
Total | 69 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 3 | ||
Mallorca | 2011-12 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | |||
2012-13 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
Gimnàstic | 2013-14 | Segunda División B | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | 32 | 2 | ||
2014-15 | Segunda División B | 35 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 39 | 3 | |||
2015-16 | Segunda División | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 25 | 1 | ||||
Total | 83 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 96 | 6 | ||
Manchester City | 2016-17 | Premier League | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
2017-18 | Premier League | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||||
2018-19 | Premier League | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Girona (loan) | 2016-17 | Segunda División | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 9 | 0 | |||
NAC Breda (loan) | 2017-18 | Eredivisie | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 32 | 3 | |||
Deportivo La Coruña (loan) | 2018-19 | Segunda División | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 38 | 2 | ||
Flamengo | 2019 | Série A | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
Arsenal (loan) | 2019-20 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
Arsenal | 2020-21 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | - | 16 | 1 | |
2021-22 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | |||
Arsenal total | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
Udinese (loan) | 2021-22 | Serie A | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 15 | 2 | |||
Monza (loan) | 2022-23 | Serie A | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 31 | 1 | |||
Monza | 2023-24 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 35 | 0 | |||
2024-25 | Serie A | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 21 | 0 | ||||
Monza total | 83 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 1 | ||
Fiorentina | 2024-25 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |||
Career total | 366 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 401 | 21 |
5. Honours
5.1. Club
Flamengo
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2019
- Copa Libertadores: 2019
Arsenal
- FA Cup: 2019-20
- FA Community Shield: 2020
5.2. Individual
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2019
- Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament: 2019