Gerard Martín has come a long way at Barcelona under Hansi Flick.
It’s a monumental task for any player to break into the Barca first team from the academy, and to stay there, and yet Martín has succeeded where so many before him have quickly faded away.
In large part, it’s because of the defender’s versatility.
Martín is a full-back, and he earned his place by beating out Héctor Fort a year ago as Alejandro Balde’s back-up. Fort is known for his creativity and dynamism. Martín on the other hand is a no frills,
no-nonsense player, who will do the job you ask him to do. In other words, the kind of player who coaches love.
This season, after the departure of Iñigo Martínez, Flick had the idea of trying Martín as a center-back option. What was apparent right away is that the backline wasn’t quite right when asking Pau Cubarsí, Ronald Araujo, or Eric García to fill in there. Something was missing without having a left footed center-back, and Flick wanted to Cubarsí to develop and thrive in his natural position.
Enter Gerard Martín. There were no guarantees the experiment would work more than having him as an option who could fill in from time to time. Instead, he has become the solution, at least for this season, to Flick’s problem of how to replace Iñigo Martínez.
Barcelona is fortunate to have players like Gerard Martín, Eric García, and Dani Olmo, who can play wherever you ask them to. Even more so when you consider the epidemic of injuries that continues to hit the club hard.
Players like these quickly become fan favorites too. They are valued not because they are the best at their position, but for their intelligence and professionalism. Being so adaptable is a skill in and of itself, and is a sign of being a footballer’s footballer.
The question is still out though.
What do Barcelona see Gerard Martín as? Is he a full-back now or a center-back?
Could he simply be a Swiss army knife that you keep around because of his ability to do a job no matter what’s asked of him?
This will be a question for Flick to answer over the summer.
For now, as Barcelona marches forward in La Liga and the Champions League, let’s appreciate Gerard Martín for his unsung contributions to the team’s success.
