For a goalkeeper, the hands are everything. So imagine spending an entire World Cup with a broken finger, throwing yourself at shots while a whole country watched. Imagine doing that while the world’s greatest attackers fire shot after shot after shot, some crossing 60 mph. Argentina’s number one did exactly that and while it may have been well worth it, by his own admission, it left him in tears.

“When the doctor showed me the X-ray, I started crying because I thought I would miss the World Cup,” Martinez said during an interview on Los Edul, a YouTube show hosted by Argentine journalists Gastón and Esteban Edul.

“I cried at the training camp because my finger was so swollen,” Martinez said. 

The Argentine goalkeeper played the entire tournament with a broken finger. His injury was so serious that he could not follow his normal training routine. He needed specially designed gloves and even used volleyballs instead of regular footballs during practice.

Martinez suffered the injury on May 20, 2026, during the warm-up before Aston Villa’s Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul. Villa won the final 3-0, and Martinez also completed the match and made two saves despite his injury.

Speaking to ESPN after the final, he explained, “Every time I tried to catch the ball, the finger would just slip away in the other direction.”

Things became more serious when Martinez returned to Birmingham. He visited a hospital for an X-ray, and the scan confirmed that he had fractured his finger.

In such a difficult situation, a player needs the support of his teammates, coaches, and managers.

“Whether you make it or not, I’ll back you… Come anyway,” Martinez recalled a message by Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni.

The message gave Emiliano Martinez confidence that his place in the Argentina team did not depend on recovering immediately from his injury.

In an earlier interview with ESPN on July 18, he confirmed the medical advice, saying, “All the specialists I consulted told me I had to have surgery or I wouldn’t be able to play.”

However, surgery could have put his World Cup participation at risk. So Martinez decided to delay the operation and play with a plastic cast, bandages, and extra protection.

Adidas also designed a special goalkeeper glove for his injured hand. But even that did not make things easy for him.

“I could feel four fingers,” he recalled during the Los Edul interview.

However, despite his injury, Emiliano Martinez remained Argentina’s first-choice goalkeeper throughout the 2026 World Cup. He started all eight matches and played 810 minutes, including extra time. According to FBref, he made 20 saves from 28 shots on target, recorded a 71.4% save rate, and kept two clean sheets. Argentina bested seven national teams before losing the final to Spain.

The injury affected more than Martinez’s ability to catch the ball. It also changed the way he prepared for matches.

“I couldn’t even train with normal footballs. I trained with volleyballs until the Switzerland game,” Martinez said. 

Goalkeepers regularly practise diving, catching crosses, stopping shots, and pushing the ball away. These movements put pressure on their fingers and wrists. 

“How much did it affect me at the World Cup? Ten out of ten. I was practically a zombie. Every time my hand touched the ground, I saw stars,” he continued. 

However, Argentina’s game against Egypt became a turning point. The team came close to elimination, and Emiliano Martinez felt that he needed to return to normal training. He approached Tocalli and started practising with regular footballs again.

The injury was especially difficult for a goalkeeper because even a normal save could put his fractured finger at risk. 

The most concerning part of Martinez’s revelation is that the injury did not go away after the tournament.

“After the World Cup, I had another X-ray and the finger was still broken in half,” Martinez said. 

“I still play through pain today. I’ll eventually need surgery,” he concluded. 

The finger injury also became a concern during his move from Aston Villa to Chelsea in the summer of 2026. According to a USA Today report, an Italian club, reportedly Juventus, had planned to sign him from Aston Villa but changed its mind because of his finger injury.

However, Martinez faced another setback on October 17. He suffered a fractured jaw after colliding with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite during Chelsea’s 2-0 victory. Chelsea confirmed on October 18 that he had undergone successful surgery.

Despite earlier injuries, Martinez continues to battle through pain

The fractured finger was not the first injury Emiliano Martinez suffered during his professional career.

According to Soccerway, Emiliano Martinez suffered a concussion between October 30 and November 5, 2022. He later missed matches due to a thigh injury from April 28 to May 8, 2024, followed by a wrist injury in December. He also suffered a muscle injury in March 2025, and calf injuries in September 2025 and April 2026.

However, there is no evidence that these earlier injuries had the same long-term effect as his latest finger fracture.

Even before his jaw injury, Martinez was still dealing with the finger injury. Despite that, he continued to play. Martinez joined Chelsea after spending six seasons with Aston Villa. His move gave him a fresh start after the 2026 World Cup, where he played through a serious finger injury.

Emiliano Martinez started six Premier League games for Chelsea before suffering his jaw injury. He made his debut against Brighton, where Chelsea secured a 4-3 win. However, the match also saw him concede three goals. His next appearance came against Arsenal, but Chelsea lost 2-1, with Martinez conceding twice.

The goalkeeper also featured in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against Hull City. Things became more difficult against Brentford as Chelsea suffered a 3-0 defeat. Martinez conceded all three goals in that game. However, he later experienced a better result against Bournemouth. Chelsea scored five goals in a 5-1 win, while Martinez made three saves and conceded only once.

His final appearance before his jaw injury came against Everton. Chelsea won 2-0, and Martinez kept a clean sheet after making four saves. The goalkeeper left the field in the 75th minute with a jaw injury.

The incident has temporarily stopped his Chelsea campaign. For now, Chelsea will have to manage without him while he focuses on his recovery. In Martinez’s absence, Chelsea have Mike Penders and Gabriel Slonina as their two goalkeeper options.

For Martinez, avoiding surgery was about more than playing for Argentina. He did not want to miss the chance to represent his country at the biggest football tournament. 

Scaloni’s support, a special Adidas glove, and changes to his training helped him play. However, the pain continued even after the World Cup. His latest comments have now revealed how difficult that period was for him.