Osasuna confirmed the renewal, which includes a La Liga release clause of €15 million. The extension continues what is now approaching a quarter-century relationship between player and club.
Barja — full name Enrique Barja Afonso — joined Osasuna's youth academy in Tajonar in 2005 and progressed through every level before making his senior debut on May 20, 2017 in a match at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. He established himself as a regular the following season, scoring on his first appearance as a starter against Real Valladolid.
He has since accumulated 232 official appearances for the club, contributing across multiple positions in the forward line and on the right flank. He was appointed club captain ahead of the season just completed — a symbolic step for a player who embodies the values the Pamplona club has built its identity around.
The season was a significant one for Osasuna collectively. The club secured their eighth consecutive season in La Liga, maintained a competitive mid-table position and continued to punch above their weight in a division dominated by clubs with far greater resources.
Barja's career arc with the club includes an ascent from the second division — promoted in 2019 — seven consecutive top-flight seasons, a Copa del Rey runners-up finish, European qualification and participation in the Spanish Super Cup, all while remaining one of Spanish football's clearest examples of a one-club man in the modern era.
The formal renewal press conference was scheduled for Monday morning at El Sadar. A straightforward act with a complicated amount of history behind it.