Martin officially entered Barcelona s first team, the registration procedures have been completed, and he changed to Alba s No. 18 jersey

Barcelona Club has just announced that it has completed the player registration procedures for defender Gerard Martin, and his jersey number in the new season has been confirmed simultaneously. The 23-year-old Spanish player will be eligible to play in the La Liga against Vallecano on the 31st.

Barcelona has completed financial balance through a number of operations such as termination of players and renewal of loans. The salary space released after termination of the contract with midfielder Oriol Romeu on Thursday, as well as the operation of goalkeeper Inijaki Penia extending the contract to 2029 and loaning out to Elche, created the necessary conditions for Martin's registration. According to the official data of the La Liga website, Martin's player registration status has been updated. Since he is over 23 years old, he no longer qualifies for youth team player registration and needs to be re-registered as a first-team player. According to league regulations, the number of first-team players must not exceed 25, so Martin will change to wear the No. 18 jersey, which once belonged to retired Barcelona star Jordan Alba.

It is worth noting that Martin mainly served as left-back last season, but head coach Flick had placed him in the centre-back position during the preseason. As the only left-footed central defender in the team, its position diversity will provide more options for the team's tactics.

Club sports authorities had previously considered using Martin as a transfer chip, but their preseason performance convinced the coaching staff to keep it. Frick listed it as an important part of the 2025-2026 roster planning.

After completing Martin's registration, the club will continue to promote the registration procedures for new players Voicheh Szczesni and Rooney Badji. According to sources, the registration procedures for Szczesny are expected to be completed in the near future.