Chelsea goalkeeper Martínez has disclosed that he delayed necessary surgery on a broken finger to ensure he could represent Argentina at the World Cup, following crucial support from manager Lionel Scaloni.
To protect the injury, sports gear brand Adidas supplied Martínez with a specialized glove. However, the shot-stopper admitted the protective wear impaired his grip and left him battling persistent discomfort, acknowledging that the finger “will never go back to how it was.”
‘It will never go back to how it was,’ Martinez said. ‘I am still playing with pain.’
He described intense pre-tournament suffering, including sleepless nights and severe pain during basic training drills.
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‘The day before Algeria I was diving with one arm, diving like a zombie.
‘If I put my hand down I was seeing stars. It was brutal. Every single night I was crying because my finger looked like a sausage.
‘But these are the risks you take for the national team, I’d do it again.’
The decision to play through the injury carried major professional consequences, causing a potential summer transfer to Serie A side Juventus to collapse after X-rays confirmed the fracture.
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‘I got an x-ray and it was broken again,’ Martinez said. ‘That is when a transfer to a club fell through because of the finger.
‘They said it was possible for me to play like that, that I needed surgery, but Chelsea didn’t, they didn’t care. One day I will need surgery.’
Chelsea ultimately stepped in to secure his signing for £7.5 million, unconcerned by the eventual need for surgery. Martínez, who maintains he would make the sacrifice again for his country, is currently recovering from a broken jaw suffered in Chelsea’s recent win against Everton.
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