Íñigo Martínez: "Every time we play, we enjoy it"

Finally, the Blaugrana team was able to recover one of its most important assets to strengthen its defensive line ahead of the match against Borussia Dortmund, corresponding to the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 quarter-finals.

Iñigo Martínez has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in Europe in the 2024-25 season, thanks to the confidence of Hansi Flick. The player from Ondarroa is, along with Jules Koundé, the most reliable defender for the German coach this season.

Great match by Íñigo Martínez against Dortmund

Íñigo Martínez managed to hold on without seeing a yellow card, which would have prevented him from playing the return leg of the quarter-finals in Dortmund. Again, Íñigo was the Marshal of Barcelona in defense, marking the execution of the offside trap time and again with the precision of a Swiss watch. In addition, the centre-back provided the headed assist for Cubarsí to shoot on goal and Raphinha to score the 1-0.

In that sense, the statistics and his key role in the team confirm that Iñigo Martínez is among the best centre-backs not only in LaLiga, but in all of Europe in 2024-25. His quality, experience and overcoming the physical problems that diminished his performance in his last two seasons with Athletic, along with Flick's confidence, have been decisive for the Basque player to return to his best version, and just when Barça needed him most.

Reactions of Íñigo Martínez after the Barça vs Borussia Dortmund (4-0)