Iñigo Martinez grew up in the Basque city of Ondarroa and was an Athletic fan at birth. After not being accepted into Lezama as a kid, he decided to join Real Sociedad’s youth academy instead. He made his debut with the first team in 2011 and quickly became one of the best center-backs in La Liga. Martinez would go on to make over 200 appearances for Real Sociedad before joining Athletic on 30 January, 2018 after the Lions broke their transfer record to pay his €32 million release clause.
Iñigo Martinez is under contract through 2023 and his deal contains an €80 million release clause.