He played every minute for Spain in the World Cup in Russia, a new coach arrived and so did a renewal in faith of the national team. Yet De Gea is still the protagonist for all that is wrong with 'La Roja'. This time, Iñigo Martinez was the man to step up and attempt to diffuse the criticism surrounding the Spanish number one, after he was blamed for the 3-2 defeat to Croatia on Thursday.
There is an open debate surrounding the goalkeeping position for Spain, but Martinez threw yet another safety net over the Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea on Friday.
"To doubt De Gea is sad in for many reasons. He has spent many years showing exactly what kind of goalkeeper he is and what he can give to the national team. The squad ,coaching staff and fans are fully behind him" Martinez insisted.
The Athletic Bilbao centre half explained that De Gea "is calm, at ease and feels supported."
On the topic of who should start in goal for Spain, and the recent comments of Spain icon Iker Casillas, Martinez was reluctant to say much on the subject. He admitted, "Any player would be happy to come back , participate and play these games."
The probability of Spain qualifying for the final four of the Nations League is slim, however, Iñigo Martinez said: "the last thing that is lost is hope."
On a personal note, the Basque defender was happy with his performance, "I am happy and pleased to return to the national side."
He concluded: "It was very important to win. Every cross they made, there were lots of players coming into our area and to hold this at bay for the whole 90 minutes is very dificult. We were hurt, but we cannot lose hope."