Inigo Martinez is having a season to remember. After an indifferent debut season at Barcelona, the veteran defender has become the lynchpin of the Barça backline under the leadership of Hansi Flick.
Martinez has built a formidable partnership alongside Pau Cubarsi and the duo has managed to keep out opposition attacks quite efficiently, notably keeping a clean sheet against Real Madrid last weekend.
Inigo Martinez opens up on Flick
However, Martinez’s fate could have gone down quite differently if he didn’t have the support of Flick.
In a recent interview with TV3 (h/t MARCA), the defender opened up about how he was going through a tough time in the summer, but it was the support from Flick that changed everything.
“The manager told me that I was his first choice. He gave me a lot of confidence from the first minute,” Martinez said.
Recalling his difficult summer, he added, “You come to training, you don’t know if they’re going to let you sign up or not, I have children – speculating without knowing where you’ll be, it wasn’t easy for anyone.”
At 33, Martinez is among the oldest players at Barcelona. He is, in fact, the second oldest regular starter for Barcelona after Robert Lewandowski.
“Being 33 and playing regularly is not easy. I try to make the most of all the opportunities that come my way. So many years playing in the first division and winning titles would be a reward for the work done,” he said.
Finally, Martinez highlighted how challenging it can be to operate in a high defensive line, which Flick espouses at Barcelona.
“Those up front enjoy it, those behind suffer. A mistake from you turns into a goal. When you’re already 3-1, 4-1 up, you relax a bit,” he concluded.
