Argentina have received a major injury scare ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez suffered a finger injury before Aston Villa’s Europa League final. The Argentine shot-stopper reportedly picked up the injury during the warm-up but still went on to play the full match against Freiburg.
Despite the pain, Martinez produced an impressive performance as Aston Villa secured a comfortable 3-0 victory to lift the Europa League title. The goalkeeper later admitted that handling the ball became difficult during the game because of the injury, but he decided to continue playing for his team.
Injury concern grows before World Cup
The injury has raised concerns in Argentina’s camp with the World Cup approaching quickly. Reports suggest Martinez may need around 20 days to recover completely, which could put his participation in Argentina’s opening World Cup match under doubt.
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Argentina’s medical staff are expected to monitor his condition closely in the coming days. The goalkeeper could also miss some pre-World Cup training sessions and friendly matches as part of his recovery process.
Martinez remains key for Argentina
Martinez has become one of Argentina’s most important players under Lionel Scaloni. He played a massive role in the country’s FIFA World Cup 2022 triumph with several crucial saves and penalty shootout heroics.
🨠ð—–ð—ð—¨ð—¥ð—ð—˜ ð—–ð—ð—ð—§ð—¥ð—˜ ð—Ÿð—” ð— ð—ð—ð—§ð—¥ð—˜ ð—£ð—ð—¨ð—¥ ð—˜ð— ð—ð—Ÿð—ð—”ð—ð— ð— ð—”ð—¥ð—§ð—Ìð—ð—˜ð— ðŸ‡ðŸ‡·
Le gardien souffre d’une petite fracture et sera ©loign© des terrains pendant environ 20 jours 🤕
L’objectif du staff m©dical est clair : le remettre sur pied temps pour le premier pic.twitter.com/8yCQQyP1HP
— Lives Foot (@livesfoot) May 22, 2026
His experience and leadership make him a vital part of Argentina’s plans once again for the 2026 tournament. While the injury is not believed to be serious enough to require surgery, fans will hope the goalkeeper recovers fully before the World Cup begins.
With Argentina aiming to defend their world title, Martinez’s fitness will remain one of the biggest talking points ahead of the tournament.
