Finally, Iñigo Martínez will no longer be a player for FC Barcelona. The Basque defender, 34 years old, was already the protagonist of an emotional farewell at the Joan Gamper Sports City and, after two good seasons as a footballer for the Blaugrana team, he is ready to travel to Riyadh and seal the remaining formalities to face a new adventure in Middle Eastern football with Al Nassr of Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix and company.
The operation will not bring a great economic benefit to the Catalan entity, as it will not be closed through a transfer —although there is the possibility of obtaining some income for sports variables—. The defender from Ondarroa will arrive at Al Nassr as a free agent after terminating his contract with the culé team, which has respected an agreement agreed in his last renewal.
In said agreement, it was apparently established that, if a very attractive proposal arose from the Saudi Pro League, the player would have the freedom to accept it and Barça would provide all the necessary facilities to manage his departure.
Iñigo Martínez signs for Al Nassr: millionaire contract in Saudi Arabia
Now, Iñigo Martínez leaves the Blaugrana discipline to face what, in principle, could be his last opportunity to sign a highly attractive contract in economic terms. Even, according to reports from Saudi Arabia, the former Real Sociedad player will join Al Nassr to be among the best paid players in the squad led by Jorge Jesús.
According to the Saudi media Arriyadiyah, the defender will receive around 10 M€ net per season. Based on the metrics of the portal Capology, this would place him in the top 10 of the best paid players of the Knights of Najd, specifically in ninth position, only behind:
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 204 M€
- Sadio Mané: 39.2 M€
- Aymeric Laporte: 24 M€
- Marcelo Brozovic: 23.7 M€
- João Félix: 17.1 M€
- Jhon Durán: 15 M€
- Otávio: 12.7 M€
- Mohamed Simakan: 12 M€
This amount practically doubles the emoluments he received at Barcelona, where he earned a net annual amount of 4.3 million euros, also being one of the best paid players in the Blaugrana squad. However, with a contract signed until 2026 and another optional year until 2027, depending on the objectives achieved, it is not surprising that the defender has valued the proposal as the possible last great contract of his career.
Farewell to Barcelona and the release of salary mass
A train that he could not miss and that, in addition, represents a last service for the culé team. Although he leaves for free, the Blaugrana club will release a significant amount of salary mass, which is positive at a time when formulas are being sought to comply with financial fair play and facilitate entry to rule 1:1.