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Gerard Martín con la selección española Sub 21 en el Europeo

INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL

Gerard Martín, KO in the U-21: hand injury and surgery

Published:12/06/2025 - 15:56h

Updated:12/06/2025 - 16:02h

Gerard Martín's absence from the U-21 European Championship is confirmed: hand injury and mandatory surgery

Calendar of FC Barcelona

Bad news for the left back of FC Barcelona, Gerard Martín. The 23-year-old player will have to leave the U-21 national team's training camp in Slovakia after the extent of his injury was confirmed, which will require surgical intervention.

According to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) through its official channels, and after performing the corresponding medical tests, Gerard Martín suffered a dislocation in the fifth metacarpal of his right hand. A physical setback that will force the Barcelona native to undergo surgery and face a recovery process estimated between three and four weeks.

The blow that left Gerard Martín out of the U-21 European Championship

It should be remembered that the azulgrana side withdrew at halftime of the commitment against Slovakia, corresponding to the debut of 'La Rojita' in the U-21 European Championship. However, it is presumed that the injury occurred in the early stages of the match, since, specifically in the 2nd minute, Gerard Martín suffered a fall and received a blow to his hand. Since then, he showed obvious discomfort in that area.

GERARD MARTÍN VS. SLOVAKIA - EUROPEAN U-21 CHAMPIONSHIP:

  1. Minutes played: 45'
  2. Goals: 0
  3. Assists: 0
  4. Clearances: 1
  5. Total tackles: 1
  6. Dribbled past: 0
  7. Ground duels (won): 3 (1)
  8. Fouls: 0
  9. Touches: 33
  10. Accurate passes: 19/25 (76%)
  11. Long passes (successful): 3 (2)

The culé left back is, without a doubt, an unfortunate loss for the U-21 national team, which, as confirmed by the RFEF, will not be able to call up a substitute due to the regulations of the continental tournament. Despite this, Spain started off on the right foot in sporting terms, defeating Slovakia 2-3 thanks to goals from Marc Pubill, Mateo Joseph and César Tárrega.

Troubled debut for Gerard Martín and Pablo Torre with the Spanish Under-21s

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Accidented debut for Gerard Martín and Pablo Torre with Spain's U-21

 With these three points, Santi Denia's team is positioned as leader of Group A, which it shares with Romania and Italy, rivals they will face on Saturday, June 14 and Tuesday, June 17, respectively.

Gerard Martín closes a positive season with FC Barcelona

Returning to Gerard Martín, this injury deprives him of a golden opportunity to show himself in a high-level international context. The left back thus closes the 2024/25 season in which he established himself as a regular revulsive for Hansi Flick, becoming Alejandro Balde's squire on the left lane.

During the season, he played 42 matches and accumulated 1,793 minutes of action, even scoring a goal and distributing six assists. His performance has attracted the attention of several European clubs, including Wolverhampton of the Premier League, which would have already shown interest in his services.

Gerard Martín en el duelo entre el FC Barcelona y el Stade Brestois en la UEFA Champions League 2024 25
Gerard Martín in the match between FC Barcelona and Stade Brestois in the UEFA Champions League 2024 25

Now, will Barça end up accepting any of these offers? Will Gerard Martín be interested in facing a new challenge away from the Ciudad Condal, in a team where he could have a starting role? For now, the situation is open, and it will be the market that will dictate the sentence.