Official, Íñigo Martínez already has a team for next year: Barça comes out winning

Íñigo Martínez's season is not going unnoticed. His good performance and understanding with Pau Cubarsí have allowed Barça to stay alive in the three competitions. In this regard, the culé sports management, which is already preparing for the next season, counts on the Basque center-back, but his contract ends this year and he still hasn't renewed.

Íñigo Martínez has earned, with his great performances, the starting position in the center of defense ahead of Araújo and Eric García. He is reliable with the ball at his feet and stands out significantly compared to the rest of the defenders in the European leagues in his successful pass percentage, 91.10%. This solidity is joined by building the play from the back, with Íñigo currently completing almost 6 long passes on average per game, having a precision of 71.7%.

These records far exceed those of his previous campaign, but not only with the ball, his defensive performance has also improved. Íñigo Martínez currently has 52 official matches with Barça, having scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists.

Íñigo Martínez owes it to Hansi Flick

Flick met with Íñigo Martínez in the summer and assured him that he was his first choice to join Cubarsí. The confidence the German coach conveyed to him from the first minute has improved his sports performance. At 33 years old, he is one of the veterans of the squad, and his enthusiasm remains intact, but his contract ends this summer.

However, due to his brilliant performance, Flick has asked Deco not to let him go. The German considers Íñigo Martínez essential to continue building his sports project, so he has requested his renewal. Let's remember that the Basque center-back will automatically renew if he plays 60% of the matches, but Barça's coach doesn't want to take risks, and Deco is already working on his new contract.

Deco anticipates

The board and Íñigo Martínez negotiated the terms of his new contract this week. Deco didn't want to wait for the conditions of his automatic renewal to be met and is already working on the Basque's continuity. A very positive scenario for Barça, which ensures the future of one of its best center-backs before his contract ends and he can leave for free.

Íñigo took on the responsibility of covering the absences of Ronald Araújo and Christensen, becoming the ideal partner for Pau Cubarsí. In total, he has accumulated 2,316 minutes played up to the Super Cup final in 27 of the 28 matches played by Barça. It's clear that accelerating his renewal has been another success for Deco.