Iñigo Martínez, one of the five signings for Barça 2023-24, made his debut on Sunday against Osasuna, thus starting a new phase in his career as a footballer. In the middle of the national team break, the Basque central defender attended Mundo Deportivo and presented himself as an ambitious reinforcement for a team where he hopes to win great titles.
In 2017, when Valverde was the coach of Barcelona, there was talk that he could sign for Barcelona. Are there really options?
Yes, there was a rapprochement, to the point that they wanted to sign me, but at the last minute something went wrong. A lot has been said, I really don’t know why it wasn’t done. Yes, there was an intention that was not fulfilled. He continued my career in my line, both at Real and at Athletic, and in the end I can say that I have arrived at FC Barcelona,
How did this opportunity come about?
I had last year at Athletic, I kept competing and doing and doing things in the best possible way. When you continue to compete in the best possible way, other clubs become interested. One day I received a call that made me believe. I had my doubts, because when you feel comfortable at a club, it’s hard to let him go despite the fact that good teams are coming and my heart is still there, but I decided to go.
Do you think you got it right?
I think it’s a very smart decision: I can grow, despite being 32 years old, and clearly aspire to titles where I can live those feelings, something that in Athletic is always more complicated despite of competing in the Cup and Super Cup finals. Here is another level. I hope I can enjoy those moments that I want.
Do you see yourself with options to win the League and Champions League?
Obviously, every year it’s difficult to win titles, you have to do things well. But I think there is a squad to fight for everything, I think there are no excuses in that sense. We are ready to give everything because what we really want is to win as many titles as possible.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
