Biography
Who is Martin Dúbravka?
Early life and family
Martin Dúbravka was born in Žilina. He comes from a family of goalkeepers. Both his father and grandfather played in this position. He enjoyed playing ice hockey as a child. This sport was a passion before his injury. A leg injury at age five changed his path. He focused on football instead.
Club career in Europe
He started his professional career at MŠK Žilina. During the 2009-10 season, he played 26 league games. This effort helped the team win the league title. He became the first choice after Dušan Perniš left in January 2010. He played in six group matches of the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League. He kept a clean sheet in a play-off game against Sparta Prague.
In January 2014, he moved to the Danish club Esbjerg. He signed a contract for three and a half years. Martin later moved to the Czech Republic in July 2016. He joined Slovan Liberec for one year. In June 2017, he signed a three-year deal with Sparta Prague.
Time in English football
Newcastle United signed him on loan in January 2018. He debuted on February 11 with a win over Manchester United. He signed a permanent deal on May 30, 2018 for around 5 million euros. The North East Football Writers' Association named him the 2018 Player of the Year in Durham. He won the Newcastle Player of the Year award for the 2019-20 season.
In September 2022, he joined Manchester United on loan. He wore the number 31 shirt there. Newcastle recalled him on January 1, 2023. He helped the club win a domestic trophy in March 2025. He played four of the six games on the way to that final. Martin Dúbravka joined Burnley on August 7, 2025. He spent one season there before joining Tottenham Hotspur on June 24, 2026.
International career
He debuted for the Slovakia national team on May 23, 2014. This match was a win against Montenegro. In January 2017, he played his first full game for the national team. He captained the team in a friendly match against Sweden in Abu Dhabi. He made his competitive debut in a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania on June 10, 2017.
He played in all group games at UEFA Euro 2020. In a game against Spain, he saved a penalty. He also scored an own goal in that same match. This made him the first keeper to do both in a European Championship game. He returned for UEFA Euro 2024. He played four matches in that tournament. This included a clean sheet in a win over Belgium.
Playing style and preferences
Martin Dúbravka is known as a sweeper-keeper. He believes modern keepers should play like a libero. He uses his footwork to play the ball instead of just kicking it long. Despite his career in goal, he once admitted that his favorite position to play is right win.
Birthday and age
Martin Dúbravka was born on January 15, 1989, which makes Martin 37 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Martin shares the date with 31 other famous people.
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