The ball was in the back of the net, and the crowd were celebrating, but Gerard Martin still could not believe it.
Gradually, it dawned: he really had scored for Barcelona against Real Sociedad in La Liga and he promptly tore towards the corner flag, cupping his hand to the badge embroidered on his chest and kissing it.
Martin, who spent last season playing for Barca Atletic, the club’s reserve team, could be forgiven for not knowing how to react. This wasn’t simply the left-back’s first goal for Barcelona, but his first as a professional footballer. As he told Barca One after the game, “I don’t think I’d scored for about three and a half years.”
This is becoming a habit for Barcelona players. Just four minutes after Martin’s goal against Sociedad, Marc Casado scored Barca’s second in what proved a 4-0 win. Like Martin, Casado did not score any goals for Barcelona Atletic in the Primera RFEF, the Spanish third division, last year. And, like Martin, Casado also celebrated his big moment on Sunday by kissing the FC Barcelona crest.
Last Tuesday, against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, Pau Cubarsi also scored his first goal with the Barcelona first team. Guess what? He also celebrated by kissing the badge.
Martin’s goal did not just surprise himself — his teammates were equally shocked. “I thought of some of them who told me it was impossible for me to score,” he told Movistar+. “Inaki (Williams) told me he’d shave his head if I scored, but I don’t think he’s going to do it.”
Rafa Marquez, who coached Martin with Barca Atletic last season, reposted a tweet on social media on Sunday night that mentioned him along with a photo of Casado and Martin celebrating Casado’s goal along with the comment, “How proud Rafa Marquez must be with this photo.”
“More than you can imagine,” Marquez replied.
Más de lo que te imaginas!! 😉 🔵🔴 https://t.co/YT90F8bPwu
— Rafa Marquez (@RafaMarquezMX) March 2, 2025
“Gerard is the player who has developed the best out of all the players we have had,” Marquez said at a press conference last season. “He is a professional from head to toe. He works hard and absorbs well whatever you tell him. This is evident in his development and how fundamental he has become for us.”
Martin — who was only playing on Sunday so manager Hansi Flick could rest Alejandro Balde, who has had a gruelling recent schedule — has not had a classic rise through the ranks at Barcelona.
He arrived at the Catalan club in the summer of 2023 from UE Cornella, the same club where Jordi Alba, was developed.
“He was always a very disciplined player in everything he was told,” Andres Manzano, sporting director of UE Cornella, told The Athletic. “He stood out because he was a very fast player at medium distances. When we played with a high defensive line, he was a very good corrector. He was a good defender in all facets of the game.
“He had a great season with us. Several clubs were after him, including foreign clubs. But when we heard that there was a chance that Barca would sign him, he told us that he didn’t want to think about any other option.
“At the beginning he may not have had all the technical skills that others have, but he improves every day. That makes the coaches trust him.
“There are players who manage to improve and others who don’t. He managed to improve very quickly and that meant that we always made him play in a higher category than his age. We set him challenges and he was able to achieve them.
“There was a time when he was playing and his calf would go every two minutes and he would immediately ask the coach for a substitution. I told him he couldn’t keep asking for substitutions because otherwise the coach would stop trusting him. From that day on, he never asked for a substitution again. He’s a player who takes what you say to heart.”
At Cornella, Martin, now 23, made his first-team debut in a special match in the Copa del Rey against Barcelona. On that occasion he had the honour of marking Ousmane Dembele. Little did he imagine at the time that he would end up wearing the blaugrana colours.
Martin signed a contract until 2028 just a month ago, a moment his whole family turned out to see, on improved terms. That leaves him well placed to either continue at the Catalan club or to negotiate contracts elsewhere in due course.
Barcelona have not stopped looking for alternatives in the market in his position, which suggests they have yet to be convinced Martin will ever be more than simply a back-up. But his confidence is growing with each passing game and Sunday was his ninth start in all competitions.
Gerard Martin scores Barcelona’s first goal (David Ramos/Getty Images)
There have been bad moments — a poor performance against Osasuna at the beginning of the season, when Flick’s team lost 4-2, and criticism from Rayo Vallecano’s Unai Lopez in August after Barcelona had won 2-1.
But he excelled in the 3-0 Champions League win against Brest in November and his performances have been improving ever since.
“Today he played really well”, Flick said after Sunday’s game. “It’s not only about the goal. It’s really huge for them (Martin and Casado) to score for the first team but they deserved it. He has improved a lot with the ball, you can see him with confidence. His positioning was good. At this level, he also puts pressure on Balde and this is good.”
Martin’s display capped a fine day for Barca, whose victory not only represented revenge for their 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad in November but allowed them to capitalise on Real Madrid’s slip-up against Real Betis on Saturday. They are now three points ahead of Carlo Ancelotti’s side at the top of the table, and one point ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid.
Martin more than played his part in that triumph. On Sunday he left the field smiling, even if he looked a little bashful at being followed by a television camera — not an experience he is used to.
He would occasionally glance up at the stands, searching for his family, who have backed him on every step of his journey. Time will tell how long his career with Barca will last, or if the club will eventually look for another player in his position. But, for now, he is more than playing his part.
(Top photo: Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
