INIGO MARTINEZ got into an angry spat with a young football supporter in the middle of the road.
The Barcelona star, 32, stopped his black Range Rover in the street before climbing out of the car to confront the child in shocking scenes.
Dressed in a white t-shirt, grey shorts and white trainers, he walked up to the young fan, who also approached him.
And the centre-back then unleashed an angry rant directly in the supporter’s face, pointing and raising his voice furiously seemingly frustrated by the treatment or abuse from the youngster.
It was unclear what sparked the incident.
Martinez spoke in Spanish for approximately 20 seconds but did not appear to make any physical contact.
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He reportedly said: “This is the last time you call me a fool or insult me, the last time you and your friend insult me.”
The child, dressed in a black hoody and grey joggers, was then led away as Martinez returned to his car.
A video of the incident was shared on X, captioned: “If you leave Athletic you end up losing…”
And it quickly gained plenty of traction with a host of reactions online.
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One said: “Fans can’t think because players are typically restrained they can do and say whatever they want. Inigo is right to demand respect.”
Another wrote: “Football players are humans too, they have emotions. It’s unfair for the kid to insult him.”
A third added: “He did well. Those kids are rude.”
But a final user replied: “Focus on football, stop provoking fans. Respect the fans!”
Defender Martinez came through at Real Sociedad then had five years with Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao.
However, he left the club and joined Barcelona on a free transfer last summer, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Catalan giants.
The centre-back has racked up 19 appearances in his debut season so far, making nine starts including in the 1-0 win over Las Palmas this weekend.
Martinez has 21 caps for the senior Spain national team, making his debut way back in 2013.
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A strong end to the season could see him included in Luis de la Fuente’s squad for the Euros in Germany this summer.
The Martinez incident comes just days after on-loan West Ham midfielder Kalvin Phillips flashed his middle finger at a fan while getting on the team bus following his nightmare at Newcastle.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
