Emiliano Martinez has revealed he cried every night after fearing his serious finger injury would prevent him from playing at the World Cup. The Chelsea goalkeeper reached his second consecutive final at the competition with Argentina this past summer, but lost 1-0 to Spain in extra time.
Injury in Europa League Final
Martinez almost didn't travel with Lionel Scaloni's side after breaking his finger in Aston Villa's Europa League final triumph against Freiburg. The 34-year-old was convinced he'd miss the World Cup given the gravity of the injury, but was supported by national team coach Lionel Scaloni.
A specially modified Adidas glove was created for the goalkeeper to compete in the competition. Martinez decided against surgery and remains in need of an operation months after the World Cup and admitted he's in daily pain.
Emotional Toll and Special Glove
In an interview with Los Edul, the Albiceleste hero said his hand will remain disfigured after demonstrating a clenched fist unable to close his broken finger. Martinez said: "It will stay like this for the rest of my life. I broke my finger in the Europa League final.
"When the doctor showed me the X-ray, I started crying because I thought I would miss the World Cup. Scaloni messaged me and said: ‘Whether you make it or not, I’ll back you… come anyway’. We decided not to have surgery. Adidas made me a special glove, and I played with my finger completely wrapped."
"I could only feel four fingers. I couldn’t even train with normal footballs. I trained with volleyballs until the Switzerland game. How much did it affect me at the World Cup? Ten out of ten. I was practically a zombie."
Pain and Move to Chelsea
Martinez detailed the sheer emotional toll of playing through the injury as he added: "Every time my hand touched the ground, I saw stars. I cried until midnight because my finger was swollen like a blood sausage."
The 34-year-old admitted he's still in daily pain. "After the World Cup, I had another X-ray and the finger was still broken in half. I still play through pain today. I’ll eventually need surgery." Martinez's summer didn't wind down after the World Cup as he secured a £7.5million move to Chelsea.
He quickly usurped Robert Sanchez as the Blues' number one, with the Spaniard sent on loan to Como for the rest of the season. He made six appearances for the west London side before suffering a broken jaw against Everton a fortnight ago.
He's remained out of action since and has undergone surgery, with Belgian stopper Mike Penders stepping up in his absence.
