Barcelona defender receives surprise birthday gift from Italian legend | OneFootball

Barcelona’s Gerard Martin began his time in the first team as a backup left-back, but Hansi Flick quickly identified him as a valuable centre-back option after Inigo Martinez’s departure.

While he has had his ups and downs, the player has been largely decent for the team in central defence, usually alongside Pau Cubarsi or Eric Garcia, and earned the nickname ‘Gerard Maldini’ after naming Italian legend Paolo Maldini as his role model.

Turning 24 on Thursday, the player was thus greeted with a pleasant surprise, as he received a special piece of memorabilia from his icon.

A special gift

Indeed, Paulo Maldini sent him a signed and dedicated jersey of his to Gerard Martin for his 24th birthday – a gift that the player will treasure forever.

Martin took to his social media to showcase and publicly acknowledge the kind gesture by Maldini, and it has created a lot of stir on social media, given how the player himself is nicknamed Barcelona’s ‘Maldini’ by his teammates and the fanbase.

Courtesy: Instagram

“For Gerard: Happy birthday and good luck in your career. Sincerely, Paolo Maldini,” were the words written on the specially dedicated shirt given by the AC Milan legend.

While the player’s fond nickname may have initially started as light-hearted humour, Martin has stepped up his game and provided some good performances for Barcelona at centre-back to the point where he appears to be ahead of even Ronald Araujo.

He will not be available later today for Barcelona’s game against Villarreal through suspension, but will certainly have a key role to play for Hansi Flick’s side as the season progresses.

So far this season, Martin has made 15 starts and 21 appearances in La Liga for Barcelona and has overseen three clean sheets with an average of over six defensive actions per game.