33-year-old Barcelona defender finally wins the Copa del Rey with his third final appearance | OneFootball

FC Barcelona got their hands on another trophy this season as they won the Copa del Rey after beating Real Madrid 3-2 in extra time of the final on Saturday.

This was a significant achievement for the team, especially for all the young players in the squad who won their first cup.

But it was not only the youngsters for whom this was a special triumph, as the veteran defender Inigo Martinez would also go on to remember this night for a long time.

Barcelona players celebrate as they win the 2025 Copa del Rey. [Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images]

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, this is particularly so because this was the first time the Basque centre-back won the Copa del Rey, despite having played in three finals up to now.

Before this edition, Martinez had reached the final twice, consecutively in 2020 and 2021, both times with Athletic Club, and being a starter in both games.

The 2020 cup final was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was played on 3rd April, 2021. In this match, Martinez’s Athletic Club faced Real Sociedad, and La Reale won the game with a 1-0 scoreline, with Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty being the difference between the two sides.

Only 15 days after this match, the defender played the final of the 2021 edition of the cup, this time facing his future team, FC Barcelona. The Blaugranes, managed by Ronald Koeman, won this game 4-0, with goals from Frenkie de Jong, Antoine Griezmann, and Lionel Messi.

However, it was the third time the charm as Inigo Martinez finally won the Copa del Rey on Saturday. He himself played a vital role in this win, playing first as a centre-back and then, in the last five minutes of the normal time and the entirety of extra time, as a right-back. Flick had subbed out Gerard Martin by that time, and Ronald Araujo took his position in the centre of the defence.