"When training is over, you want to hug him": one of Flick's chosen students returns

BarcelonaIn a football that places media pressure on players and taints expectations from a young age, where processes are shortened and the club is soon required to provide them with a path to the professional world, there are players who find opportunities and demonstrate that there are alternative routes. One example is Fermín López and his time at Linares. Another is Gerard Martín, who at 20 years old was looking for a place in professional football wearing the Cornellà shirt. Last season, he played important minutes due to Alejandro Balde's injury: he participated in two of the Clásicos and the Champions League semi-finals. He fondly keeps the shirts from those days in his wardrobe at home. Now, a new setback for Balde will put him back in the starting lineup.

It took Gerard just a few days to win the hearts of the Barça Atlètic coaching staff and players when he arrived. "He's a kid who, when training is over, you want to hug him. Because he gives his all. In every action, in every task: from tactical work to a rondo. He's very intelligent, polite, and knows what he wants," explains Albert Sánchez, then Rafa Márquez's right-hand man. After 37 games—he missed only one, due to suspension, throughout the entire season—Hansi Flick called him up for preseason training, and no one would move him from the first team. But he didn't distance himself from his former teammates. "Whenever he could, he came to see us and came down to the locker room. We felt he was very close. And that says a lot about his humility," says Sánchez, now coach of Dunkerque in the French Second Division.

Martín's career explains, above all, everything the spectator can't see: the day-to-day life. "When we signed him, he wasn't the typical full-back profile at Barça. He was very tall and more defensive than offensive. It was a surprise for everyone. He's a kid who trains 200%, who takes care of himself, who's a sponge... He wanted to learn from day one," the coach notes. "Defensively, he was very decent, and offensively, he wasn't too flashy. What's been most surprising this year has been his ability to attack, to get to the byline. He interprets the advantages well, he filters well inside, and he's a good back passer from the byline," he continues. In fact, this last aspect is one of the things Flick valued most when it came to keeping him on the squad.

Maximum attention to nutrition

Off the pitch, moreover, "he's very strict with himself, he hardly allows himself even a soft drink," according to someone who knows him well. He takes care of his nutrition with the club's guidance, following the diet suggested to him, and he extends his training sessions before and after Flick's sessions. He controls his rest and occasionally works with a physical trainer and, for some time now, with a sports psychologist.

This summer he was unable to prepare properly for the preseason. Although he didn't suffer the demands of Flick and his staff"He's a marvel," they emphasized from the Ciutat Esportiva. In his debut at the Under-21 European Championships in mid-June, he injured his hand in the opening minutes of the match and was substituted at halftime. After undergoing some tests, he returned to Barcelona, ​​where he underwent surgery. He spent the holidays with his hand in a cast and undergoing rehabilitation. This limited his ability to perform exercises on his own, but he arrived prepared for the first training session. He then experienced with a sense of helplessness the club's difficulties in registering him, while various clubs closely monitored his situation. He always believed in the message of calm the club conveyed to him.

The year of confirmation

Gerard is facing his second year in the elite. "Mentally, he's improved because he's felt Flick's confidence. As the months went by, he adapted to the pace of training, the competition...", say those close to him. This season, he's also debuting a jersey number: 18. He handpicked it, a number he already wore in the youth categories and which, in part, he wears in honor of one of his favorite players: Jordi Alba. He's also preparing to be available at center-back, especially after the departure of Iñigo Martínez, a position he's previously played in.

He'll also soon fulfill one of his grandfather's dreams. From a Barça family, he was present the day the foundation stone of the Camp Nou was laid and will soon be able to see his grandson play in the renovated stadium. Everything could have been different if, two summers ago, the full-back had accepted one of his offers from the United States. But Barça finally came along. "The ideal is to be at La Masia from a young age, not to go straight to the reserve team. But it's normal to need a process; at 21, you're still very young. Gerard's case is an example that there are many possible paths to reaching the elite," Sánchez concludes.