From the big city of Rosario (born on January 31st, 1962), Claudio Martín became an international referee in 1999 after two years refereeing in Argentinan 1st division league. His first match was Estudiantes de la Plata-Banfield. Tall and serious, he says that his most important skill as a referee was his strong personality.
Superclásico 2004
Although Martín didn´t officiate in big FIFA international tournaments (except for FIFA U-20 WC in Argentina 2001), he refereed a lot of important matches in Argentinian league and also in Copa Libertadores. His most important game was the Libertadores semi-final between Boca Juniors and River Plate in 2004, where he had to deal with a big skirmish in the middle of the match, after which he showed three red cards.
Problems
After having a lot of physical problems in his back, Martín decided to retire in 2007. One of his last big games was one played between Estudiantes and River Plate in La Plata, in the AFA Apertura 2006-2007, tournament that was finally won by Estudiantes .