Former defender Martin began his playing career with Wycombe and had spells at Peterborough, Rangers, Walsall and MK Dons during his 15-year playing career.
But he will be most remembered who his nine seasons at Norwich where he won three promotions, he also earned 29 caps for Scotland.
While at MK Dons he took the job as manager in November 2019, and retired from the playing staff. A season and a half later he was appointed the boss of Championship side Swansea City.
Martin spent two seasons with Swansea before taking manager's job at Southampton in June 2023 and guided the Saints back to the Premier League at the first attempt with a play-off final win over Leeds at Wembley in May 2024.
However, with Southampton rock-bottom of the Premier League, Martin was sacked after a 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham in mid December 2024.
Martin started his career at the youth academy of his hometown club Brighton, before joining Wycombe in 2004, via a short spell at non-league Lewes.
He spent four seasons at League Two side Wycombe making 140 appearances before hopping up a division to join Peterborough where he was captain of the squad that secured promotion to the Championship at the end of the 2008/09 campaign.
New Peterborough manager Mark Cooper loaned him out to Norwich and eventually the move was made permanent during the 2009/10 season. He helped the club win the League One title that season.
The following season he was runner-up for the Player of the Season award as Norwich were promoted to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship table. He earned the nickname "the Norfolk Cafu" for his work down the right flank.
Martin impressed in the Premier League during Norwich's three-season spell in the division and was made captain for the 2013/14 campaign, but was unable to stop the club from getting relegated back to the Championship.
He made a whopping 45 league appearances in the 2014/15 season as Norwich claimed promotion again, this time via the play-offs. But the following season Norwich were relegated again from the Premier League.
Martin made his 300th Norwich appearance during the 2016/17 season but the club failed in their promotion bid and remained in the Championship for another season.
His time at Norwich was drawing to a close and during the 2017/18 season he was loaned to Rangers, where he made 17 appearances across all competitions.
When he returned to Norwich his contract was ended by mutual consent and he joined League One Walsall as player-coach in October 2018.
However, due to family reasons he left Walsall in January 2019, having played 12 games for the club.
League Two side MK Dons signed him up in the same month and Martin was a vital part of their promotion to League One at the end of the season.
He continued to play for MK Dons during the 2019/20 season, but after manager Paul Tisdale left in November 2019, Martin accepted the role as the new head coach and hung up his playing boots.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the 2019/20 season, Martin's first stint in charge of MK Dons ended prematurely with the club in 19th, just above the relegation zone.
In his first full season, MK Dons finished 13th in the 2020/21 season and set a new British record of a 56-pass scoring move.
Martin impressed at MK Dons and Championship outfit Swansea City named him as their new manager in August 201.
He guided the Swans 15th in his first season and then 10th in the 2022/23 campaign despite having a bottom-four budget and the youngest squad in the division.
On June 21, 2023 Martin was confirmed as Southampton’s new head coach on a three-year deal after leaving Swansea.
Martin verbally agreed to take over at St Mary’s in May, while the clubs remained in discussions over compensation.
Southampton and Swansea disagreed over the amount of compensation which should be paid, which has seen the move dragged out.
They had been haggling over £700,000 with Martin’s release clause for Championship clubs and Premier League sides different.
The Saints felt they should pay the smaller amount, around £1.25million, after their relegation from the top flight while the Swans were believed to be holding out for £2million.
Saints endured a rollercoaster ride during the 2023/24 season, losing four in a row in September before Martin oversaw a 25-match unbeaten run, which broke a 103-year-old club record.
A poor end to the campaign, which included a 5-0 loss at Leicester, threatened to derail Southampton's promotion bid, but they regrouped, finished fourth in the table and then beat West Brom in the play-off semi-finals.
It set up another clash with Leeds at Wembley in the play-off final and Martin tasted success for a third time against old boss Daniel Farke, with Adam Armstrong’s first-half strike, and 24th goal of the campaign, the difference.
Martin signed a new contract in on July 2, 2024, that will keep him at St Mary’s Stadium until the summer of 2027.
Martin told the club’s official website: “I’d like to thank [the owners] for showing that commitment and for really believing in us and what we’ve done and the support they’ve given us so far and I’m really looking forward to continuing the journey, because it’s been an amazing year.
“I feel like we’ve all learned so much as a club, as a group. I feel like there’s so much to be excited about that when we first discussed it there was not even a question from myself or the coaches about what to do.”
On December 15, 2024, after a 5-0 thumping by Tottenham, Martin was sacked with the club rock-bottom of the Premier League nine points from safety.
The defeat was Southampton's 13th in the league from 16 games. They'd only managed one win all campaign, against Everton and scored just 11 goals.
"Going into the start of the season, we all knew the challenges that we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world," said a Southampton statement.
"However, the reality of our situation is clear. The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations.
"We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank Russell and his staff for all the hard work and dedication they have given the club on and off the pitch over the last 18 months.
"Everyone connected with Southampton FC will always have fantastic memories of last season, especially the play-off final win in May."
Martin has four brothers and is married to Jasmine. The couple have three children together.
However the couple split up and in the summer of 2024, Martin confirmed he was in a relationship with former glamour model Lucy Pinder.
He set up the charity The Russell Martin Foundation which is a non-profit organisation based in Brighton & Hove which uses the power of football to help change people’s lives.
Southampton boss Russell Martin has high hopes for his new signings ahead of the upcoming Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
