Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez reported that he broke a finger while warming up for his team’s Europa League final against SC Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday.
Despite the injury, the Argentine star managed to keep a clean sheet and made several key saves, leading Villa to a 3-0 victory and securing their first trophy in three decades.
“What we achieved tonight was beautiful. I feel proud, and my confidence keeps growing with each match,” Martínez told ESPN after the game. “I broke my finger during warmups, but I didn’t see it as a setback. I’ve never broken a finger before, and every time I tried to catch the ball, it would slip in the opposite direction.
“But these are experiences you have to handle.”
During warmups, Martínez took a moment to receive treatment from the Villa medical staff, had his finger taped, and then returned to the pitch for kickoff.
Villa dominated Freiburg, racing to a three-goal lead in under an hour with impressive strikes from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía, and Morgan Rogers. With Martínez in goal, the Bundesliga side stood little chance of making a comeback.
“The truth is, the fans and the club feel like family to me,” Martínez continued. “Whenever I defend the Aston Villa goal, I do it with immense pride. Today, I focused on utilizing all my experience and the countless unseen training sessions, and it all paid off.”
Martínez laughed off the injury after the match and it seems unlikely to impact his participation as Argentina defends its World Cup title starting in June.
“I’m overjoyed. Now, it’s time to celebrate with the team,” Martínez stated. “It’s something this squad hasn’t had the chance to do in quite a while. After this, my focus will shift to the World Cup.”
Under Lionel Scaloni, Argentina will compete against Jordan, Algeria, and Austria in Group J.