Carlos Martín interview: why the No 77 and the 'Cartu' nickname?

In his interview with El Club Uría, Carlos Martín, on loan at Hajduk Split, explains where his nickname comes from: his father called him 'cartucho' after games in which he missed chances, and that is how his inner circle knows him.

The programme revisits a clip from the interview with Carlos Martín, the Atlético player on loan at Croatian side Hajduk Split. Rubén Uría asks him about the nickname he now goes by, 'Cartu', because even people in the street ask him about it.

The forward makes clear that it has nothing to do with what some people assume, and says he has been thinking for a while about swapping 'Carlos' for 'Cartu'. The origin lies in his childhood: whenever he had a bad game or missed a chance, his father would tell him on the way out 'eres un cartucho' ('you're a cartucho', literally 'a cartridge'). That is where 'Cartu' came from, and it is what his family, his friends and the people who have known him for a long time at Atlético call him.

Martín is playing for Hajduk, who currently sit top of the Croatian league and are competing pretty well in the Conference League. He wears the number 77 on his back, has already played seven matches for his new club and is there on loan. Hajduk Split hold an option to buy the player. However, the player himself has the final say on whether he wants to stay in Croatia or would rather leave at the end of the season. Carlos's loan with the Croatian club runs until 30 June 2027. It remains to be seen whether he returns to Atleti after that date.