‘He is an absolute leader’… Hani Flick showers €5m Barcelona player with high praise after Getafe win | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have been without several of their key players in this initial phase of the 2024-25 season. The team has been rather thin in midfield, while two important defenders, Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, are also currently recovering from their long-term injuries.

These circumstances have allowed some other players to get opportunities to shine. This has been the case with Marc Casado, who has been playing regularly in the midfield for Flick. Similarly, Sergi Domínguez and Gerard Martin are also getting a lot of minutes in recent games.

Another new leader of the defense who has emerged this season is the Spanish center-back, Inigo Martinez. The former Athletic Club defender has been playing non-stop for Flick this season and has been quite impressive with his tenacity and aggressive style of defending.

After the 1-0 win against Getafe, Flick highlighted the positive qualities of the Spanish defender. The German trainer was talking to the press when he highlighted one of these qualities that made him such an important member of the team:

“He is an absolute leader, a fighter. What he does for 90 minutes is incredible. You could see towards the end that he struggled a bit, maybe from a few knocks, but it’s still great to see. I told him it’s great to have him in the team because he’s an absolute leader.”

This season, Martinez has played in all seven La Liga games and the sole UEFA Champions League game for Barcelona. He has also played almost every possible minute and has been substituted only once, in the game against Villarreal in the 81st minute.

Thus, after being linked with a move away from the club last summer, the €5m-rated defender is proving to be one of the most important players for Barcelona this season. Hopefully, he will be able to keep playing at such a high level and retain his position even when the more important defenders return to action.