Gerard Martín's rise from a battered Seat Toledo

BarcelonaFor Hansi Flick, Alejandro Balde's injury is much more sensitive than Robert Lewandowski's. Ahead of this Saturday's Copa del Rey final in Seville against Real Madrid (10 p.m., TV3), the Barça coach has more players and tactical options to replace the Polish striker than to fill the void at left back. For the first problem, he can play Ferran Torres up front, surprise with Dani Olmo as a false nine, and even involve Pau Víctor or Ansu Fati. However, for the second need, he has fewer solutions. He can give continuity in the experiment with the changed leg with Héctor Fort, one of the players who has had the least playing time this season, or trust in Gerard Martín, a personal gamble that appeared almost out of nowhere.

If Flick is consistent with the decisions he has made throughout the season, it will be this young man born in February 2002 who will face Rodrygo Goes, Brahim Díaz or Lucas Vázquez on the wing. A demanding and exciting undertaking in equal measure for a youngster who a year ago had much lower objectives. Without a presence in Xavi Hernández's plans in the first team, he was fighting for promotion to the Second Division with Barça B, the mission for which he had been recruited in the summer of 2023. His opponents were not Madrid or Inter Milan, but Ponferradina or Córdoba, the executioner in the final for promotion. At the Nuevo Arcángel, he shared frustration with Casadó and Pau Víctor, two teammates who today also aspire to the treble, and also with the family members who accompanied him in the stands. Ten months after that fateful Sant Joan festival, 22 people from his closest circle will be at the Cartuja hoping to see him lift the Cup. Carpe Diem.

Arnau Martín, Gerard's twin brother and a privileged witness to what it means to see him playing for Barça's first team, will be part of the expedition. "We could imagine him doing preseason, but there's no way he'd be a chance to start in the Copa del Rey final," Arnau admits in conversation with ARA. Reality has exceeded expectations in the house the two brothers still share with their parents in Sant Andreu de la Barca. "I don't understand why Wikipedia says Gerard is from Esplugues. We were born in Barcelona and when we were five or so, we headed to Sant Andreu!" says Martín, who boasts about the natural way his brother handles everything: "We go out with the same people, we make the same plans, and the only difference is now." For now, fame doesn't force him to rent private rooms for dinner with his friends.

"I could work in whatever I wanted if I didn't play for Barça."

And unlike other young players in the first team, such as Lamine Yamal, Balde, or Héctor Fort himself—all of whom are fashion and hairstyling enthusiasts—Gerard Martín strives to go unnoticed. He doesn't sport tattoos, doesn't exploit his image beyond the playing field, and only drives the car the club provides. "I still remember when we used to go to university in Igualada in his grandfather's Seat Toledo!" explains Miguel NS, a family friend and former academic teammate. The picture is from a recent day, when the current Barça full-back trained in the mornings with Cornellà and attended the University of Lleida center in the Anoia capital in the afternoons. He was studying business administration and management (ADE), a degree he has now abandoned. standby Because he wants to prioritize football. Despite being encouraged at home to have a plan B in life, Gerard has fully embraced the dream. "He graduated from social studies with good grades, but he's always wanted to be a footballer," Arnau says.

In the Barça locker room, they share the feeling that Martín, who has participated in 32 official matches and scored one goal, has earned Flick's support through effort, dedication, and humility. "Gerard walks where others float," they say at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, where they emphasize that the Barcelona defender "could work at whatever he wanted if he weren't a footballer." Be that as it may, and despite his limitations, he has entered the final stretch of the season with his characteristic calmness. "He reads the criticism on social media and doesn't even flinch!" exclaims Miguel. Sixteen years ago, he was thrilled by Pep Guardiola's first Barça alongside his brother Arnau from the stands at Camp Nou. Now, at 23 in February, who knows if he'll be one of the heroes of another treble?