Pumas had a remarkable turnaround this Liga MX season. The historic Mexico City side finished 13th in spring’s Clausura but are in this week’s final after finishing atop the table in the recently concluded Apertura.

What spurred this rebound? You don’t need to look much further than Fidel Martínez.

It’s safe to say that without Martínez, Pumas wouldn’t be in the final. In the quarterfinals against Veracruz, it was the Ecuador international who scored the goal Guillermo Vazquez’s side needed in the second leg. Then, in the first leg of the semifinal against América, Martínez sent in a beautiful cross that was headed in for the opening goal. Another goal came from a shot he created on the counter-attack. It was saved, but one of Martínez’s teammates put it back in for the second.

Martínez leads Liga MX in assists, yet he hasn’t been given as much credit for Pumas’ renewed success as players like Ismael Sosa, Eduardo Herrera and Dario Veron.

MORE LIGA MX: Controversy of semifinal loss takes heat off América’s boss.

The 25-year-old winger didn’t fall out of the heavens into Pumas’ lap, but the club was lucky he was available this summer. He was one of the few bright spots on a Leones Negros team that couldn’t avoid relegation in its first year back in the top division. His six goals represented nearly half of the team’s total haul.

Though he had other suitors in the summer, especially after he secured his Mexican citizenship, Pumas signed the jewel of the descending Universidad de Guadalajara side. In Vazquez’s system, Martínez has shifted from goal-scorer to provider, showing an understanding of how to drift wide into space and provide an option, even if the ball is on the other side of the field.

He hasn’t needed to score the individual goals he did at his last stop, and he has matured beyond resorting to tricks and skill moves that only sometimes worked at Club Tijuana, his first stop in Liga MX. He was successful with the border team, becoming a regular starter and helping the team to lift the 2012 Apertura championship, but since he left the Xolos, his skill set has become more multidimensional.

Even his nickname has grown up since the move. In Tijuana, some called him “Fidelito (little Fidel). Now Martinez is more often called “Alegría,” or happiness, thanks to his habit of smiling on the pitch.

https:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=asB-z1QZsFs

These days, Martínez gets wide and poses a real problem for defenders who aren’t sure if he’s going to cut inside or put in a cross toward Eduardo “Lalo” Herrera, Sosa or another of Vazquez’s attackers. While other wingers sometimes get sucked into the middle of the field, Martínez troubles defenders by putting his boots on the chalk and staying wide. That has helped left back Luis Fuentes to a breakout season that resulted in a call-up to the Mexican national team, as he has been able to display his talents when he gets forward. If Fuentes doesn’t come up, Martínez’s crossing ability and bag of tricks come into play.

Pumas is a balanced team with a solid defense that has come into its own this season. Los Felinos finished the regular season with a goal difference seven goals better than its closest competitor, fellow finalist Tigres. Yet, the attack struggled against Club América in the semifinal, scoring only when Las Águilas were playing with less than 11 men (something their capital rival was kind enough to do in both matches, finishing with nine each time).

Martínez will have his hands full in the final, needing to win the battle with right back Israel Jiménez, but he can also switch sides with Sosa and go at the left back spot, where Jorge Torres Nilo has been kept out because of an ankle injury. José Rivas has played as a suitable replacement thus far for a staunch Tigres defense, but Martínez might be able to take advantage with his speed.

If Pumas wins its first trophy since 2005, the warm feeling fans feel will come in no small part thanks to Alegría Martinez himself.