Gerard Martin: Last season I drove low and walked high; Alba is my role model.

Hupu News on November 20th Recently, Barcelona defender Gerard Martin accepted an exclusive interview with "Daily Sports". During this time he reflected on his two seasons with the first team, talked about his return to Camp Nou and the team's adventurous style of play. Below is the second half of his interview.

What does Frick mean to you?

He was the coach who gave me all the trust I needed, and I will be forever grateful to him.

You were still an echelon player at the beginning of last season, but you were playing for the first team. When did you realize that you were already a member of the first team?

I made my debut against Valencia. I struggled a little bit at the beginning, but I think towards the end of the year, around December, I saw things going more smoothly and I was already in the first team.

In a short period of time, you came from Cornelia to the Barcelona first team. What was this transition like?

It is about adapting to changes. The change from Cornelia to Atletico Barcelona is huge, but the change from the echelon to the first team is also very big. You need to make yourself stronger, gain confidence, and at the same time stay true to yourself.

This requires effort to adjust.

My family and friends gave me a lot of help and advice, and I also sought help from a psychologist. I thought I didn't need to, but it's always good because there's always something you don't know how to handle.

You said before that you are very supportive of Barcelona, ​​is this a plus when you are on the pitch?

Supporting Barcelona is a family legacy. Yes, this is indeed a plus. When you're at a big club you're always motivated, but if you're at the best club in the world and you're a fan of the club, it keeps your morale high. If you're feeling a little down on a day, thinking about this can help you give your best.

How would you evaluate last season, your first season with the first team?

Drive low and go high. I had to adapt at the beginning. As the game progressed, I gradually built up my confidence. My review is positive, I thought it was a good season. And we won the championship. I feel good about stepping up and growing and improving in important games.

You have mentioned now, the knockout match against Inter Milan, the Copa del Rey final, the El Clasico...

I have good memories, and some bad ones. The bad memory is the elimination against Inter Milan, the good memory is that we won the title and I saw that I could stand the test in those very complicated games, which is always a personal satisfaction.

You said you had bad memories of the Milan game because you were eliminated, but was that your best game?

I think so, I should reflect on it, but it was one of the best, if not the best, that I have ever played.

And you cried

because we gave everything, but in the end the victory slipped away, and like I said before, if you have this Barcelona complex, you will feel pain.

Now that several months have passed, was Dumfries' action a foul?

This topic was very controversial at the time. Now it is not important whether it was a foul or not.

Your outstanding season has allowed you to renew your contract and become a regular player of the first team.

This is a recognition that the head coach and sports management believe in me and bet on me. This is good news.

And you chose number 18

because of Alba. I wore this number for several years because of him in Cornelia. He was my role model at left-back, he was the left-back when I watched Barcelona games as a kid. I had the opportunity to choose No. 18 this summer and I didn't hesitate.

Are you nervous when registration was delayed at the beginning of the season?

I was nervous because I wanted to know if I could complete the registration. To be honest, I wasn’t too nervous because I knew it would be completed eventually, and the club told me so. It's true that when the weekend comes and you realize you haven't registered yet, you get nervous because you want to play but can't help the team.

It must be difficult to guard Yamal in training, how do you feel?

Everyone knows what kind of player Yamal is. To be honest, guarding him in training is very difficult, but it also prepares you for games and allows you to improve and grow.

Is he a tease?

Yeah, we tease each other all the time, but it makes us get along really well with him and all our teammates.

Barcelona always talks about signings. Recently, left back Grimaldo was mentioned. Does this make you nervous?

In these offseasons, there is always all kinds of noise from the outside, but I don't pay much attention to these things because you don't know what is true and what is false. There were rumors about me in the summer too, but I know that's not true because I spoke to the club. I faced it calmly because I knew the coach was happy with me.

What are your goals for this season?

On a personal level, play as many games as possible and gain a foothold in the first team. Collectively, win all the championships we participate in.