Bruno Martins Indi finally brought an end to his five-year association with Stoke City over the summer with the defender making the permanent move to AZ Alkmaar.

Martins Indi was a popular figure amongst Stoke City supporters for the performances that he was able to produce for the Potters during his 137 appearances for the club.

However, towards the end of his time at the Bet365 Stadium, the defender was surplus to requirements under Michael O’Neill as the Potters aimed to cut down their wage bill.

The defender spent the 2020/21 season out on loan in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar, and he managed to get his career back on track with a string of impressive displays in the Eredivisie.

Overall, Martins Indi managed to make 27 appearances in the league last term for Alkmaar and helped them record eight clean sheets in the process.

That played a pivotal role in them managing to achieve a third-place finish and qualify for this season’s UEFA Europa League play-offs.

After leaving Stoke in the summer, Martins Indi sent a message to supporters thanking them for their support during his time with the Potters and was keen to wish the club luck for the future.

Since his permanent move to AZ Alkmaar, Martins Indi has immediately become a real key figure around the club on and off the field.

He was handed the club captaincy during the pre-season period in what was a major show of faith over his leadership qualities and the importance he has in the side.

The defender managed to make his first league appearance of the season in AZ Alkmaar’s opening day clash against Waalwijk. However, despite him starting the game and producing a strong performance, he was unable to help them pick up anything from the match as they fell to a 1-0 defeat.

However, things got better last time for AZ Alkmaar with Martins Indi playing a key role for them as they managed to secure their first three points of the campaign away against Heerenveen with a 3-1 win. The defender won five duels, made three interceptions, one tackle and one clearance during the 90 minutes.

Martins Indi also started in both legs of AZ Alkmaar’s UEFA Europa League play-off against Celtic.

However, he was unable to help them make it through to the group stages despite a 2-1 win at home in the second leg, with them having lost the first leg 2-0 at Celtic Park.