16 January, 2026 Micheal Nzubechi 0 Comments

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez revealed that after suffering a serious injury last year, he once no longer wanted to play football at all, describing his recovery as a daily, ongoing battle.

Martínez tore his anterior cruciate ligament in February last year during Manchester United’s 0-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, which kept him sidelined for nine months until his return in late November.

The 27-year-old Argentine star underwent surgery and made his comeback in the 2-1 victory over the same opponent at Selhurst Park.

Martínez has been plagued by a series of injuries since joining Manchester United, and in a candid interview with AFA Estudio, he admitted he had considered ending his career.

“You feel like you’re no longer a footballer,” Martínez said. “You’re in pain and think you’ll never play again.”

“It’s a mental and physical imbalance, and honestly, looking back today, I don’t know how I got through it. I leaned heavily on the people around me—my family, my friends.”

“Honestly, after the first two or three weeks, I didn’t want to play football anymore. But then, of course, you gain clarity, and you receive that support.”

In April 2023, Martínez suffered a metatarsal fracture in a 2-2 draw against Sevilla, ruling him out for the remainder of the season and requiring a second surgery. This injury caused him to miss a total of 180 days across two separate spells that year.

He missed Manchester United’s FA Cup final loss to Manchester City in 2023 and was also absent for last May’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.

Reflecting on his rehabilitation, Martínez added: “You can’t take shortcuts. Taking shortcuts means giving up—that’s it.”

“But I always say adversity reveals who you really are. So I reconnected with myself—with my roots, with who I am, with my values—and gave everything I had, day after day.”

“For me, it’s been a constant, daily struggle. My matches happen every day in the gym. And, well, I’ve also been working with my psychologist, always trying to improve in every aspect, which helped me clarify what I truly want—to strive to be the best version of myself, give my absolute best, and see how far I can go.”

“The truth is, with each passing month, I saw results—I saw myself getting stronger. And today, on the pitch, I feel fantastic. I’d say we’re here now thanks to those days—the painful days, the days when I refused to give up.”

Martínez joined Manchester United in July 2022 for a fee of £55 million. He has made 101 appearances for the club in total, scoring three goals.

The Argentine could feature under new manager Michael Carrick when Manchester United host Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Category: new, Sports

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