Argentine World Cup hero: "I thought about ending my career"

He set up Lionel Messi's opening goal, scored the interim 2-1 himself in extra time, and thus led Argentina into the World Cup round of 16. Just a few months prior, however, Lisandro Martinez was still considering ending his career.

After the dramatic 3-2 victory against Cape Verde (match report >>>), the centre-back spoke openly about the time after his ACL tear, which he sustained in February 2025 during a Premier League match against Crystal Palace.

"After my ACL injury last year, I thought about quitting football," Martinez reveals.

"I just didn't want to suffer anymore"

"I just didn't want to suffer anymore. I'd had other serious injuries before, but this injury was honestly the worst. It completely derailed me."

It wasn't until the birth of his daughter that his perspective changed.

"When my daughter was born, everything settled down again. I saw what my wife went through during childbirth, and I told myself: How could I stop fighting then?"

Nevertheless, the period leading up to his comeback in November 2025 was extremely stressful.

"When I think about everything I went through because of that injury today, I could cry. My daughter and my wife changed everything. Suddenly, I had a completely different perspective."

Messi as a role model

In his most difficult moments, Martinez also looked to his captain, Lionel Messi.

"I always thought of Messi. He fights for this jersey like no other. When I was injured, he was the person I thought of so I would never give up."

For the 28-year-old, the 2022 World Cup winner is the perfect role model.

"Leo is 39 years old now, has won everything, and doesn't need to prove anything to anyone anymore. Yet he fights in every game. He is the best athlete in history. If even the greatest of all time has this passion, how could we stop fighting behind him?"