Inigo Martinez explains why he left Barcelona for Al Nassr

Inigo Martinez has revealed the reason he left Barcelona to join Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, providing insights into his thought process. 

The 34-year-old partnered with Pau Cubarsi last season to lead the Blaugrana to a domestic treble. He was expected to reprise that role this coming campaign before the shocking news broke that he had accepted an offer from Faris Najd. 

The former Athletic Club defender only recently signed a contract extension in February; however, he had a clause worked into the deal which would allow him to leave for free should he get an offer from an overseas club. 

Such an offer came from Al Nassr, and the Spaniard admitted that the economics of the deal inspired his decision. He said that he was presented with a mouth-watering bid which was too good to pass on. 

“I spoke with Flick when I returned from the tour. I was honest with him because I knew he would understand me completely, as I have one year left on my contract and I am 34 years old,” he said. 

“It’s not that I was earning low at Barcelona, where I and my family was also comfortable. I had a significantly high wage.

“These trains pass by rarely, and it’s hard to say no. It surprised him, but he understood completely. It was a nice conversation, but it made me very sad because of the mutual affection between us. It was sad at the same time, not tense, but very emotional, and I realised that our time together had come to an end.”

Meanwhile, Barcelona do not plan to replace him with a senior defender, given their finances and their current inability to register the likes of Marcus Rashford and Joan Garcia.