The 29-year-old player joined Barcelona from Leganes in February as an emergency signing after a long injury to Ousmane Dembele.
Hard work pays off
Martin Braithwaite admitted that people look at him differently now that he’s a Barcelona player. The 29-year-old player joined Barcelona from Leganes in February as an emergency signing after a long injury to Ousmane Dembele. Still, a forced coronavirus stoppage of football means that he was able to make only three appearances for the Catalan club until now. “I felt very proud and patted me on the back,” Martin told reporters. “I told myself that hard work pays off, and it gave me even more inspiration to push the controls on what I can do in my career. A lot has changed because now I’m in the biggest club in the world, so people look at they will recognize you more differently because my face is now more familiar. Outside of football, it has changed a bit, but in the end, football is still football.”
Martin still supports his former club
Martin’s departure from Leganes left Los Pepineros without a notable forward. In January, the Madrid-based club sold Youssef En-Nesyri, but he still loves following his former team, who ranks 19th in the Laliga table. “I watched their games and results, hoping they would win the games because I don’t like leaving the club like that,” Martin said. “But now I’m focused on Barcelona. I want the best for my former team-mates and the former club. I met a lot of good people, and they said they were happy for me. They said that I deserved it and, frankly, it was a special moment. “It was difficult because I made many good friends at Leganes and so many good relationships.
“It’s always difficult when you have to leave the club. I have to thank them for everything they gave me.” Barcelona will host Leganes at Camp Nou on June 16 in the second game after the restart, and Braithwaite did not hide the fact that he will celebrate a goal against his former team. “It would be a special scenario, but I don’t think about it. When we play against them, I will only think about victory. I commit to victory, and I will try to keep it against Leganes.”