Gerard Martin embodies Hansi Flick demands as Barcelona milestone nears

Gerard Martin is one appearance away from his 100th game for Barcelona, a remarkable milestone for a player who never came through La Masia - and former teammate Pau Victor believes his rise illustrates exactly the qualities Hansi Flick rewards.

Martin's route to becoming a regular at Barcelona has been anything but conventional. The 24-year-old only joined the club from Cornella in 2023, initially for Barcelona B, before forcing his way into the first-team picture and eventually becoming one of Flick's most trusted defensive options.

Should he feature against Getafe on Saturday, Martin will make his 100th official Barcelona appearance.

Remarkably, he would become only the fourth player this century to reach that landmark for the Catalan giants without previously developing in La Masia, following Ronald Araujo, Oleguer Presas and Thiago Motta.

His former teammate Victor, who made the step from the reserve side to the senior squad alongside Martin, admits that he never anticipated quite such a rapid rise.

However, the Braga forward believes there is a straightforward explanation for why Martin has flourished under Flick.

Pau Victor reveals exactly what Hansi Flick rewards

Speaking to Cadena SER's Què t'hi Jugues!, Victor offered an insight into the demanding environment Flick has established at Barcelona.

The former Barca striker recalled training sessions under the German that were so physically intense that he occasionally finished them feeling "dizzy".

Victor explained that Flick expects a great deal from his players but also pays particular attention to what happens after the formal session has ended.

According to the 24-year-old, the Barcelona coach appreciates "hard-working players" who are willing to stay in the gym afterwards and places substantial value on seemingly minor details.

Those comments become particularly revealing when Victor discusses Martin.

The pair shared a dressing room before taking different career paths, with Victor moving to Braga while Martin established himself in Flick's senior squad.

Victor described his former teammate's greatest strength as his willingness to "work in silence" and improve every day, adding that Martin carries out numerous individual video-analysis sessions.

In other words, the habits Victor identifies in Martin closely mirror the qualities he says Flick values most.

Martin's emergence therefore looks less like an unlikely selection gamble and more like a clear example of the meritocracy Flick has attempted to create. The German had already made his faith in Martin clear when he pushed for the defender to remain at Barcelona amid interest in his services.

Gerard Martin closing in on remarkable Barcelona century

Martin's numbers underline how dramatically his standing has changed. After arriving without the profile normally associated with a future Barcelona regular, he has accumulated 67 La Liga appearances, 20 in the Champions League, 10 in the Copa del Rey and three in the Spanish Super Cup heading into Saturday's meeting with Getafe.

He was also Barcelona's sixth-highest player for minutes last season, appearing 51 times across all competitions, while he has not missed a match through injury since making his senior debut.

That reliability has been accompanied by increasingly strong underlying numbers.

Martin has won around 60% of his duels and completed approximately 90% of his passes, figures which help explain why Flick has continued to trust him despite fierce competition for places. Flick has also repeatedly valued Martin's ability to operate centrally as well as at left-back, increasing his usefulness within the squad.

His progress is now set to be reflected off the pitch as well.

Barcelona are working towards improving a contract which currently runs until 2028, with Martin among the lower earners in the senior squad despite his growing importance. Sports Mole previously reported that the club were preparing the groundwork for an extension featuring an improved salary and higher release clause.

Martin's ascent has therefore taken him from an unheralded arrival for the reserves to the verge of a Barcelona century in little more than three years.

Victor's comments help explain how.

Flick's Barcelona may be associated with aggressive pressing, high defensive lines and relentless attacking football, but the German appears to judge players on something more basic as well: how much work they are prepared to put in when nobody is watching.

Few players embody that principle more clearly than Martin.