Inigo Martinez transferred to the Saudi team Riyadh Victory this summer. Before that, he was the leader of the Barcelona defense that won the La Liga and Copa del Rey doubles under Flick. Recently, he accepted an exclusive interview with reporter uanma Castaño and talked about his reasons for joining the Saudi League, his experience in Barcelona and the controversy related to the Spanish national team.

■ Inigo went to Saudi Arabia to play football this summer. He admitted that the offer he received was too much to refuse.

Inigo said: "Such an offer...not just this time, but any opportunity like this will only come once. One year a team wants you, and the next year they may not want you...After repeated thinking and weighing, I decided to take this step." An important step. It would have been better if I had taken better care of myself before. But with today's pace, players are already professional athletes. Looking at the previous locker room and the physical condition of the players, the changes are really big."

■In March of this year, Inigo caused controversy after being injured and withdrawing from the team.

Inigo responded: "If I really don't want to go, I will be the first to say it. I won't waste everyone's time... It's just that sometimes the physical condition is different. At that time, my knee was injured or uncomfortable, and I felt that 'it is unrealistic to go to the national team', just like other players will encounter similar situations. Later, the team doctor also checked and found that there was indeed discomfort... but the knee gradually recovered. In fact, the player was not 100% ready to play at that time, and there was a risk of re-injury or deterioration. I believe this is neither the first nor the last such case."

■ Regarding the issue of him being photographed holding a Catalan independence flag

Inigo explained: "One thing is that I support the majority opinion of a nation...but that doesn't mean that because I support independence or understand some of their demands, I can't play for the national team. That's not the case. So. People confuse these things just because I am a Basque."

■ Talking about the World Cup, he made it clear that he hopes Spain can win

Inigo: "Of course I hope it is Spain now. If I didn't want to go to the national team, I wouldn't go there in the first place... … I talked to the coach and I don’t think it’s a good idea to go back at this stage. Who doesn't want to play in the World Cup? The coach knows this too. I don’t feel the need to explain it to anyone, I just need to communicate with the coach. Eventually we came to an agreement - I wasn't going, just like he decided to bring Phelan back. "

■ Talking about the relationship with Flick

Inigo showed deep affection: "I have a very good relationship with Flick, and I always want to use my performance to repay the trust he has given me. I liked him very much and we still keep in touch. He knows how important I am to the team and I am one of the key pieces to him . When I decided to leave, his lineup was a bit messed up. I didn't even dare tell him directly that I was leaving. This matter has been brewing for a long time. After the last game, I first talked to his assistant, hoping to talk to him and tell him the decision I was considering. Indeed, he was shocked when he heard it. It's not easy to coach Barcelona, it's not easy to manage that dressing room. He knows that I have a certain say and influence in the team. This year he may also feel that the team is not as smooth as last year, which is normal. The coach, like all Barcelona people, will be nervous, but I have no doubt that he will still go all out to compete for all titles. "