‘One of my best moments’… Veteran Barcelona defender opens up on his good start to the season

BARCELONA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 01: Inigo Martinez of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between FC Barcelona and BSC Young Boys at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on October 01, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

Inigo Martinez has been one of the players who has taken the biggest leap this season. The former Athletic Club defender is proving himself to be a highly competent member of the team’s backline since Flick’s arrival and is already a leader of the defense for this Blaugrana team.

However, despite the level at which he has been playing with this Barcelona team, he was not called by Luis de la Fuente for his Spanish national team squad for this international break, and the defender remained at the Catalan club.

As SPORT has reported, one of his activities in this break has been to appear in an interview with the Club del Deportista, in which he talked about various aspects of his own career and of Barcelona.

Regarding himself, the Basque center-back was clear that he was once again enjoying playing on the field, and attributed this improvement to the coach and the team:

“Last year wasn’t easy at all, but this year I’m enjoying it to the fullest. I’m in one of my best moments. When you feel the confidence of the coach and your teammates, everything flows better.”

The defender was also happy with the start that the Blaugranes have had to this 2024-25 season, and revealed that the team is aiming to win a title this season:

“This year, we hope to win a title. We’re showing that we’re in great shape, and it’s clear that we know how to compete against any opponent.”

A lot of youngsters are playing with the first team this season, and Martinez revealed that senior players like him try to help them as much as possible:

“We try to contribute and help the young players coming up as much as possible, to make them feel comfortable, and they’re showing they have more than enough level to play for Barcelona.”

There is no doubt that Martinez is having a very good start to this season, after his rather limited involvement on the pitch in the last season. Hopefully, he will be able to retain this importance when other defenders like Araujo and Christensen return from their injuries.