Hansi Flick remains in favor of 33-year-old veteran staying at Barcelona beyond this season | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have several players who do not have a lot of time left on their current ongoing contracts. However, certain players also have special conditions applied to said contracts even if they wish to extend their stay. Most of these conditions that have been set by Barcelona are also based on sporting involvement.

For instance, the case of Inigo Martinez is one that involves a contract that ends in 2025 but can be extended beyond the summer deadline if he ends up playing a certain amount of games in this ongoing season. Reportedly, his contract can be extended for an additional year if he ends up playing in 60% of the games in this campaign.

So far, especially with Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen currently injured, his place in the starting eleven has been locked in. Moreover, his performances have been beyond what anyone could have expected of him this season and it is something that Hansi Flick acknowledges.

Moreover, the Barcelona coach has already voiced his opinion about Martinez’s stay beyond this season, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, in his recent press conference once he was asked about it:

“His performance is fantastic, and he is truly a leader. We have a very young team, so it’s important to have experienced players. He often wins all the matches in training; it’s great to see. Deciding on contracts isn’t my job—mine is to improve the players. If he’s performing well, renewing his contract would be the normal thing to do.”

So far this season, Martinez has left more or less nothing for Flick to complain about. The 33-year-old Spanish veteran’s performances speak for themselves and he has the right quality and attitude to fight for each and everything on the field. As such, his spirit and performances will likely be rewarded with an extension.

Ultimately, only time will tell just how consistently he can keep up his excellent form. Everything has worked out according to plan so far, and Martinez is undoubtedly a key figure in this Barcelona team. All that remains to be seen now is how he is deployed once the injured defenders return as well.