Iñigo Martínez Berridi (; ; born 17 May 1991) is a Spanish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. He spent most of his professional career with

Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...

, playing 238 matches (17 goals scored) in all competitions after making his debut at the age of 20. In January 2018, he signed with

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

, with whom he won the 2020–21 Supercopa de España as well as reaching two

Copa del Rey The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...

finals. Martínez won his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 2013.

Club career

Real Sociedad

Born in

Ondarroa Ondarroa is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Autonomous Community, northern Spain. Main sights *Church of St. Mary, in late Gothic style (late 15th century) *Likona Tower, a ty ...

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

, Martínez joined

's youth ranks from local Aurrerá Ondarroa. He made his senior debut in the 2009–10 season, helping the reserves to promote from

Tercera División Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...

after one year out by contributing 23 games and one goal; he started out as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. On 27 August 2011, Martínez made his first-team – and

– debut with the

Basques The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...

, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 away win against

Sporting de Gijón Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting is a Spanish professional association football, football club from Gijón, Principality of Asturias. Founded on 1 July 1905, it plays in the ...

. On 2 October he scored his first league goal, from inside his own half in an eventual 2–1 home loss to

in a

derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

Martínez scored his third league goal in the same fashion, in a 3–2 away victory over

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...

on 27 November 2011 (in the 90th minute). He continued to be first choice in the following top-flight campaigns, notably helping the club to

return Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

to the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

after ten years in

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

by netting four times in 34 matches. On 26 April 2016, Martínez signed a new five-year deal.

Athletic Bilbao

On 30 January 2018, Martínez signed with Athletic Bilbao for €32 million (his contractual

buyout clause A buyout clause or release clause refers to a clause in an employment contract. It allows the employee to terminate the contract unilaterally upon payment of a specified (usually substantial) fee to the employer. The fee may be paid by the employ ...

amount and a record outlay for the buying club) on a deal until 2023; the fee was around half of the figure received the same day for the player he replaced in the Athletic squad, Aymeric Laporte, who had moved to

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

. He made his debut on 4 February, playing the entirety of a 2–0 domestic league defeat away to

Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...

. During October 2018, Martínez conceded two penalties for foul challenges in two local derby matches in the domestic league, both of which led to the opening goal and were awarded after

Video Assistant Referee The video assistant referee (VAR) is a Assistant referee (association football), match official in association football who assists the referee by reviewing decisions using video footage and providing advice to the referee based on those revi ...

reviews – the first in a 3–1 home defeat to his old club Real Sociedad and the second in a 1–1 away draw against

Eibar Eibar (, ) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi. It is the capital of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Debabarrena. Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eustat, 2018). Its chief industry is ...

. Martínez scored his first goal for Athletic (in his 85th competitive appearance) with a backheel flick in a home league fixture against Betis on 20 June 2020. He later also gave away a penalty, but the kick was missed and his proved to be the only goal of the match. Under the spotlight playing against his former club Real Sociedad in the delayed

2020 Copa del Rey final The 2020 Copa del Rey final was a football match that decided the winner of the 2019–20 Copa del Rey, the 118th edition of Spain's Copa del Rey, primary football cup (including two seasons where two rival editions were played). The match was pl ...

, Martínez had a major role in proceedings: he came close to scoring with a long-range shot in the first half, appeared to have conceded a penalty for handball on the edge of the penalty area at the start of the second half – a VAR review ruled this to have been outside the box – then did concede a penalty for a foul on Portu ten minutes later. He was sent off by the referee, but another VAR check decided that he had not denied a goalscoring opportunity deliberately and the red card was downgraded to yellow. The penalty was scored, and Real took the trophy with a 1–0 scoreline. In the aftermath, he was seen taking time to offer congratulations to his many old teammates and was praised in the media for his sportsmanship. Martínez announced his departure from the San Mamés Stadium at the end of the 2022–23 season. During his spell, he totalled 177 games and eight goals; in his last year, he dealt with several injury problems.

Barcelona

On 5 July 2023,

announced the signing of Martínez on a free transfer with a two-year contract, which included a €400 million release clause. His early tenure was hindered by a foot injury that required surgery shortly after his arrival, delaying his registration and relegating him to fifth-choice behind

Ronald Araújo Ronald Federico Araújo da Silva (born 7 March 1999) is an Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team. Primarily a centre-back, he is also capable of playing as a right-back on ...

Andreas Christensen Andreas Bødtker Christensen (; born 10 April 1996) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Denmark national team. Christensen began his career at Skjold Birkerød and later joined B ...

, Eric García and

Jules Koundé Jules Olivier Koundé (; born 12 November 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a right-back or centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the France national team. Early life Jules Olivier Koundé was born on 12 November 1998 ...

. He made his competitive debut on 3 September, coming on for Christensen in the 91st minute of a 2–1 away win over

Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish ...

. His first start occurred 23 days later in the 2–2 away draw against

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, and he finished his debut campaign with 25 appearances in all competitions. Martínez became a regular starter at the beginning of 2024–25 under new head coach

Hansi Flick Hans-Dieter "Hansi" Flick (; born 24 February 1965) is a German professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Barcelona. Flick played for SV Sandhausen, Bayern Munich, and 1. FC Köln during his career as a fo ...

, following injuries to Araújo and Christensen. He scored his first goal for both the club and in European competitions on 1 October 2024, in a 5–0 victory against Young Boys in the Champions League league phase. On 13 March 2025, Martínez agreed to a new deal running until 30 June 2026. At the end of the season, he won a domestic treble of league,

and

Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España, also known as the Spanish Super Cup, is a super cup tournament in Football in Spain, Spanish football. Founded in 1982 Supercopa de España, 1982 as a two-team competition, the current version has been contested since 2 ...

; in the cup final against

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

, he spent parts of the match as a left-back.

International career

Martínez made his debut for the Spain under-21 team in 2011. In the following year, he was picked by manager Luis Milla for his

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

that appeared in the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In the first game against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

he was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

late into the first half for bringing down

Kensuke Nagai is a Japanese football player who plays as a striker for J1 League club Nagoya Grampus. Career From the age of 3, Nagai spent five years in Ipatinga, Brazil, where he started playing street football with his childhood friends. After moving ...

, thus denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, in an eventual 1–0 loss. Martínez made his first appearance with the full side on 14 August 2013, coming on as a second-half substitute for

Sergio Ramos Sergio Ramos García (; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captain (association football), captains Liga MX club C.F. Monterrey, Monterrey. Regarded as one of the gr ...

in a 2–0 friendly win over

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. Between September 2018 and March 2021 he received eleven

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

, including seven starting appearances; however, he was not included in

Luis Enrique Luis Enrique Martínez García (; born 8 May 1970), known as Luis Enrique, is a Spanish football manager and former player. He is the manager of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. A versatile player with good technique, he was capable of playin ...

's 24-man squad for the

UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's association footb ...

tournament (delayed for a year by the

COVID-19 pandemic in Europe The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and al ...

) when it was announced on 24 May, with the player stating that he was not totally happy with his physical situation having missed a number of club matches during the season and an agreement had been made between him, the national body and Athletic that he would not take part. On 5 June 2022, Martínez scored his only goal, a last-minute header in the 2–2 away draw with the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

in the

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

Style of play

Martínez is likened to compatriot

Carles Puyol Carles Puyol Saforcada (, ; born 13 April 1978) is a Spanish former professional Association football, footballer who played List of one-club men in association football, his entire career for FC Barcelona, Barcelona. Considered one of the grea ...

and is known for his heading ability which made him an aerial threat on set pieces, despite his modest stature of . He is also known for his tackling and leadership qualities and ability to read the game, as well as competence with the ball at his feet. Martínez is considered a specialist in the

offside trap Offside is one of the laws in association football, codified in Law 11 of the Laws of the Game. The law states that a player is in an offside position if any of their body parts, except the hands and arms, are in the opponents' half of the ...

. At Barcelona under Flick, he emerged as a pivotal figure with his leadership and experience, partnering youngster

Pau Cubarsí Pau Cubarsí Paredes (born 22 January 2007) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Barcelona and the Spain national team. Early and personal life Pau Cubarsí Paredes was born on 22 January 2007 in Bescanó ...

; offensively, he contributed in attacking corners and free kicks due to his aerial prowess and timing.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Martínez goal.''

Honours

Athletic Bilbao *

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

runner-up: 2019–20,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Barcelona *

: 2024–25 *Copa del Rey: 2024–25 *Supercopa de España:

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

Spain U21 *

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Spain *

runner up:

Individual *

La Liga Team of the Season The La Liga Awards, previously known as the LFP awards, are presented annually by the Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP) to the best players and coach in La Liga, the first division of association football in Spain. Established in the 2008–09 La ...

: 2024–25 *

The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...

La Liga Team of the Season: 2024–25 * UEFA U-21 Championship Team of the Tournament:

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Inigo 1991 births Living people 21st-century Spanish sportsmen Spanish men's footballers Footballers from Ondarroa Men's association football central defenders La Liga players Segunda División B players Tercera División players Real Sociedad B footballers Real Sociedad footballers Athletic Bilbao footballers FC Barcelona players Spain men's youth international footballers Spain men's under-21 international footballers Spain men's under-23 international footballers Spain men's international footballers Olympic footballers for Spain Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basque Country men's international footballers