The Barça talisman against his former team?
Barça have not lost against Athletic with Iñigo Martínez on the pitch
The central defender from Ondarroa has played three times against the Bilbao team: he has won twice and drawn another
Iñigo Martínez is one of the surprises for Hansi Flick's Barça. After a first season under Xavi Hernández, in which injuries did not allow him to have the necessary continuity, this season he is doing well. He started as a starter due to the injuries of Christensen and Araujo, alongside Pau Cubarsí, and now he is irremovable. His great performance has made him a regular in the plans of the Blaugrana coach and he has only been a substitute in the matches in which he has been given a rest.
He arrived as a free agent from Athletic Club, the Catalan team's rival this Wednesday in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup. He has faced his former team on three occasions, but has not yet known defeat. FC Barcelona had two wins and a draw with the Basque defender on the pitch. Since his signing, he only missed the Copa del Rey match in which 'Los Leones' eliminated the Blaugranas at San Mamés, but he was absent due to muscular problems. Likewise, that edition of the tournament was lifted by the Bilbao team and Iñigo asked his current club for permission to go and see how his former teammates celebrated the feat by sailing on the barge. It was granted and he ended up going.
Starter or substitute, but undefeated against Athletic
The solidity of the central defender is a quality that helps Barça a lot, as well as his great ball output. Seeing his performance on the pitch, it is logical that several technical secretaries, both blaugranas and other clubs, noticed him when he was at Real. He was close to arriving at the city of Barcelona on several occasions, but it was not until 2023 when the union finally took place.
As previously mentioned, Iñigo has played 3 games against his former team and has not lost any. Two of them were played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. In them, the defender was a starter and completed the 90 minutes, with positive results for the Catalan club, as they ended in victory. On the other hand, the remaining one was resolved at San Mamés and ended in a goalless draw in which Martínez entered the green in the last quarter of an hour.
Thus, the fact is clear: with the Basque footballer on the field, defeat against Athletic is not possible. On the other hand, playing at home and with the defender as a starter, victory has been achieved in 100% of the occasions. The most certain thing is that the ex-Athletic will be back in the game this Wednesday against his former team, so we will have to see if the statistics hold.
