Iñigo Martínez has opened up on his shocking and sudden decision to leave Barcelona and join Saudi side Al-Nassr just a few days before the start of the La Liga season.
In an interview with Jijantes on Monday, Iñigo revealed that he informed Hansi Flick on a plane during Barça’s preseason tour of Asia, and that the coach was shocked by his decision.
Iñigo also explained that he had an “irresistible” offer from Al-Nassr, and that he was at the right point in his career to leave the highest level of football.
“I had a conversation with Hansi at one of the plane’s emergency exits. We discussed the situation, and the manager was in shock. I told him I had an offer I considered irresistible.
“It wasn’t easy; I had to make the decision very quickly. At the time, I thanked the club for making my departure easier; not all of them do that.
“Last year was the best of my career, but I thought it was very difficult for me to stay another year [at the same level].”
You can never blame a player for choosing to do what’s best for them, their career and their family, but Barça certainly miss Iñigo’s leadership in the early weeks of the season as their defense has been quite the mess so far. Maybe Iñigo was right that he may not have been able to play at the same level this season, but the team is certainly not the same without him.
