Iñigo Martínez wins his first Copa del Rey in his third final.
Hi community!
- The Basque defender played his third career Copa del Rey final this Saturday.
- After playing a fantastic game at center back in regular time and at left back in extra time, he finally won.
- With Athletic Club de Bilbao, he played in two consecutive finals in 2020 and 2021, losing both, and the second against FC Barcelona.
Iñigo Martínez (33) had a great match this Saturday against Real Madrid (3-2) and was instrumental in securing the title. The former Athletic Club de Bilbao player once again demonstrated his leadership, determination, experience, and quality. The final was demanding both physically and mentally, and the Basque defender had to hold off several Real Madrid counterattacks for 120 minutes. Barça's No. 5 highlighted the team's collective strength: "We're in good shape. We knew it was our day, that the team came focused, and that's how it turned out. Any other team today against Madrid at 2-1 would have fallen, but we were clear that we had to wait for our moment, and the group's strength carried us through the match."
For the first time in his career, the left-footed center-back won the Copa del Rey after losing two consecutive finals in 2020 and 2021 while playing for Athletic Club. Iñigo Martínez started both times. On April 3, 2021, he played in the final postponed due to the pandemic, corresponding to the 2020 final. The match was against Real Sociedad, and the Anoeta team won the title after winning 1-0 with a penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal.
On April 18, 2021, just 15 days after the final against Real Sociedad, Athletic played their second final, this time against Barça. The team, then managed by Ronald Koeman, thrashed the Lions 4-0 with goals from Frenkie de Jong, Antoine Griezmann, and a brace from Lionel Messi.
Iñigo Martínez secured his first Copa del Rey and second title as a Barça player this Saturday. It was a different game for the Basque center back, as Hansi Flick deployed him at left back from the 85th minute. The German substituted Gerard Martín for Ronald Araujo and replaced the Barça number 5 at full-back, leaving the Uruguayan at center back alongside Pau Cubarsí. The former Athletic Club Bilbao and Real Sociedad player had a remarkable performance both at center back and at full-back.
See You soon!
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