Spain does Iñigo Martínez a favor

BarcelonaPart of the expectation that existed regarding Luis de la Fuente's list for the final four of the Nations League was Iñigo Martínez. Based on his performance, the veteran Barça center-back deserved to be part of the Spanish national team to compete for this official trophy almost a year after winning the last European Championship. In fact, in the previous international call-up, the coach actually called him up, although he asked to be dropped due to physical problems that led Osasuna to raise the issue with the offices for alleged improper selection. Now, De la Fuente has understood the situation and has opted directly for less experienced players, such as Dean Huijsen, Real Madrid's brand new center-back. Although he would take Iñigo because he understands that his season with Barça supports him, he has preferred to save him the inconvenience.

The reason for this refusal is that the defender from Ondarroa, who has just turned 34, considers his contribution to the Spanish national team to be over. He first played under Vicente del Bosque in 2013 and his last experience was in 2022 under Luis Enrique. In total, 24 caps and one goal, quite modest numbers for a player who has played over 400 La Liga matches and who this year has been a key player in Hansi Flick's Barça, with whom he has added three titles to his list. as ARA explained a few weeks ago According to sources close to him, Iñigo is prioritizing club football in the final years of his professional career. He is also the father of three children, one of them a newborn, and needs time for his family. In this context, he asked De la Fuente to release him from the squad. Although he was not obliged to, the coach of the red one He loved the footballer's arguments.

De la Fuente's gesture comes after Iñigo Martínez has become a target for certain sectors of the Spanish right to show off the ikurriña –the Basque national flag– in all of Barça's title celebrations and that an estelada (Spanish flag) waved for a while during the La Liga parade. The center-back's commitment to the 24 matches he has played for the senior national team has been compatible with his respect for the symbols and culture of the Basque Country –Basque is the language spoken at home–. Similarly, Barça fans have realized over the past two years that Catalan is also part of his daily life. He confessed that he wanted to learn it and, although he hasn't yet dared to speak it in public, he does use it to communicate with fans through social media.

Six Culés in the Nations League Final Four

De la Fuente's list for the Nations League includes six players from the league champions Barça: Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López, Pedri González, Pablo Gavi, Lamine Yamal Nasraoui and Dani Olmo. The Blaugrana team, which (with six) is the one that contributes the most players to the the red one, could have added a seventh if Ferran Torres had already recovered from appendicitis surgery. On the other hand, the absence of Joan Garcia, the Espanyol goalkeeper wanted by Barça, is surprising, and the return of Isco Alarcón is notable thanks to his strong end to the season with Manuel Pellegrini's Betis.

This is the full list:

• Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic Club), David Raya (Arsenal) and Álex Remiro (Real Sociedad).
• Defenses: Pablo Cubarsí (Barça), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Óscar Mingueza (Celta de Vigo), Robin Le Normand (Atlético de Madrid), Dani Vivian (Athletic Club), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Álex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen) and Marc Cucurella (Chelsea).
• Midfielders: Fermín López, Pablo Gavi and Pierre González (Barça), Isco Alarcón (Betis), Fabián Ruiz (PSG), Álex Baena (Villarreal), Martín Zubimendi (Real Sociedad) and Mikel Merino (Arsenal).
• Forwards: Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo (Barça), Álvaro Morata (Galatasaray), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Samu Omorodion (Porto) and Yeremi Pino (Villarreal).

The Nations League semifinal match against France is next Thursday, June 5, at 9 p.m. in Stuttgart, Germany. The other semi-final will be played between Germany and Portugal the day before. The final is on Sunday, June 8, at 9 p.m. at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.