"You can't believe the offer when you see it; Flick understood within two minutes"

After two seasons with Barcelona, Inigo Martinez surprised everyone at the club upon their return from the Asian tour. The defender requested to leave the Catalan giants due to Al-Nassr's staggering proposal, which ultimately secured the services of the Ondarroa-born player.

The centre-back, currently adapting to his new club, spoke to 'Onda Vasca' and addressed his departure from the 'Cule' outfit for the first time. "I certainly would have thought twice if I had more than a year left on my contract. I wasn't on a low salary at Barcelona and my family was happy. It wasn't an easy decision because I have to consider my wife and daughters, but if I had more years on my contract, I would have definitely reconsidered," he began.

The offer was unmissable, and Inigo Martinez was very clear about it. After returning from the Asian tour, he had a conversation with Flick: "I was honest with him, because I knew he would understand perfectly, given I had a year left on my contract and I'm 34 years old. These opportunities rarely come around, and it's difficult to say no. It took him by surprise, but he understood perfectly from the second minute. It was a pleasant conversation, and I felt a lot of regret because there was mutual respect. It was sad at the same time. It wasn't tense, but very emotional, seeing that our time together was coming to an end and he wouldn't have me in the squad. He knew how important I was to him."

Finally, the defender, disappointed not to experience the new Spotify Camp Nou, commented on the Al-Nassr contract. "You can't believe the offer when you see it. Nobody is prepared for these kinds of contracts, at least I wasn't. I've been a football pawn, climbing the ranks through hard work and sweat, but when you receive a contract like that, it hits you out of the blue, especially the family," he concluded.