33-year-old Barcelona defender continues to captivate Hansi Flick following his crucial intervention against Leganes | OneFootball

Despite their financial problems, FC Barcelona have been able to bring in some quality reinforcements in the last few years. Free transfers have been an avenue frequently taken by the Catalan club, and the defender Inigo Martinez was one of the players obtained by the Blaugranes without paying any fee.

The Basque center-back has been one of the fixed starters for Hansi Flick this season, and his contributions have been vital as the Catalan club has had such a wonderful season so far.

Only in the last game against Leganes, he put in a decisive tackle from his weaker foot in the last phase of the game when the former Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi was in a dangerous area and could have equalised the game for his side.

The defender was congratulated by the team and also the German coach for this intervention at the end of the game, and now Flick is already looking forward to having Martinez’s composure and commitment for the second leg of the game against Dortmund.

In fact, according to Mundo Deportivo, the Basque player has captivated the Blaugrana coach ever since his appointment last summer, mainly because of his positioning and leadership skills.

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

With his performances this season, Martinez has justified the confidence Flick showed in him at the start of his tenure. At that time, the defender’s future at Barcelona was not entirely certain, especially as the Catalan club needed to get him registered once again and also because they needed more FFP margin, and the center-back could have been one of the candidates for a sale.

In addition to the calmness and composure that he shows on the pitch, another factor that makes Martinez an important part of this Blaugrana squad is his relationship with young players, especially the defender, Pau Cubarsi.

He himself is quite happy in the city and the club, and hopefully, against Borussia Dortmund, he will once again give his all to help his team maintain their advantage and reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, while also continuing to remain one of the most trusted players for Flick.