It's Official, Total Agreement: Íñigo Martínez Achieves His Goal Thanks to Vitor Roque

Íñigo Martínez is, without a doubt, one of the biggest surprises of the season in the team from the City of Barcelona. Barça has been counting on the defender in their ranks for some time, but it wasn't until this year that we've seen his best soccer. The Basque has gone from playing just over 30% of the possible minutes last year to being a starter at Barça.

Barça is going through a moment of restructuring, and it seems that the moves made are the right ones. The recent departure of Vitor Roque, which surprised part of the fans, has had more impact than is believed. O Tigrinho has returned to his country, but with his departure, he has opened the doors for Íñigo Martínez.

Íñigo Martínez's Situation

Íñigo Martínez arrived at Barça in 2023, and what was expected of him was to be a quality reinforcement to facilitate rotations. The veteran assumed his role perfectly, and everything he has done since then has been for the good of the team. Even so, as a good experienced player, the defender has not stopped working to be up to the task.

With a lot of effort and dedication, Íñigo Martínez has managed to settle into Hansi Flick's starting '11', something that wasn't possible with Xavi. The German, who has ended up falling in love with Íñigo's play, has seen many qualities in him: leadership, experience, dedication, and a long etcetera. Meanwhile, footballers like Vitor Roque have not been able to demonstrate what they were capable of and have had to seek the best option.

Vitor Roque cost Barça 30M fixed and 31M in variables, but, luckily for the club, only the fixed amounts have been paid. Neither Xavi nor Hansi Flick wanted to give him opportunities, and he has returned to Brazil for 25M fixed plus 5M in variables. With his departure, the striker has given the option to renew Íñigo Martínez.

Íñigo Martínez's Renewal

Íñigo Martínez's renewal was presented months ago, but due to Fair Play issues, it couldn't be accepted; now, everything has changed. A few days ago, Barça announced that they had renewed the Basque until 2026, something that had been awaited for some time. In his old contract, it stated that if he played more than 60% of the matches, he would be automatically renewed.

Vitor hasn't been able to achieve the dream he had in mind and that the management promised him, so he has sought a new professional life at Palmeiras. Finally, everything has ended well for Íñigo Martínez, and he is greatly enjoying the opportunities Hansi Flick is providing him.