Two important defensive reinforcements have arrived for FC Barcelona this summer, Joao Cancelo and Inigo Martinez. Both these players will play an important part in the squad this season, and both made their Barcelona debuts in the last match against Osasuna.
One of these players, Inigo Martinez, recently appeared in an interview with SPORT in which he gave his opinion on different aspects of his new club and his career.
Decision to join Barcelona and competition for spots
The defender started by talking of his decision to join Barcelona in the following words:
“It’s an opportunity that very rarely comes along, and I was at a point where I had spent many years competing in La Liga with other teams and needed a change.”
He further added:
“Barcelona came and showed interest from the beginning, and here I am. When you’ve been fighting for many years and you’re at the age I am, having a top club approach you makes the decision much simpler.”
While Martinez has proven his quality over a number of seasons playing at the highest level in La Liga, he will still have to compete for a place in the Barcelona defense. The defender shared that he is ready for this competition, but will hold the collective interests of the team above his own interests:
“When you come to Barça, you know what you’re getting into, there are very good players here, and we all want to play. The season is very long, there are many matches ahead, sometimes you’ll get to play, and other times you won’t.”
Furthermore, he commented:
“We all know that sometimes you’ll compete, and other times you won’t, but what’s important is that this is a team, and we need to work together and aim to win as many titles as possible.”
Winning the Champions League, Lamine Yamal
A number of Barcelona players have already publicly set the UEFA Champions League as one of the objectives for the team this season, and Martinez also believed that Barcelona can win this prestigious title:
“Honestly, I can’t say much about the Champions League because we haven’t started talking about it yet. We’re only competing in La Liga right now and focusing on those matches. When the Champions League comes, the coach will tell us what we need to know, but it’s clear that competing in the Champions League and even winning it should be our goal.”
“Despite the many changes and the young players, we know that winning it is very difficult, but we have the team for it and more, so we’ll go for it.”
Lastly, Martinez also talked about the latest sensation at Barcelona, Lamine Yamal, and advised the club to take a patient approach with the youngster:
“Lamine is a very important player for the team, and he’s showing it. What’s important now is not to hype him up too much; I think we should take it slow with him because rushing things can be detrimental.”