Lisandro Martínez on knee injury: “I wanted to quit football”

Lisandro Martínez, defender for Manchester United and the Argentine National Team, regained his continuity and became the captain of the Red Devils in the Premier League after overcoming his left knee's cruciate ligament rupture. He described how cruel the recovery phase was: “After the first two or three weeks, I didn't want to play football anymore.”

Martínez, who was injured in February 2025, began his story: “I went into total imbalance because the pain is unbearable. My first reaction was: ‘I’m going home, I’m going to be with my family in Argentina . Enough, I don’t want to suffer anymore, I want to be well, I want to enjoy.’ When you’re unbalanced, you can say anything because you’re not connected with yourself. Then I accepted those three weeks of mourning, which wasn’t me.”

Shortly after his injury, the former Defensa y Justicia player became a father to his first daughter. “A month after the incident, she was born, and I said: ‘No, no… There’s no chance I’m giving up.’ She was my driving force every day. I went to every training session to give my best purely and exclusively for my daughter.”

Then, the 27-year-old from Entre Ríos recalled his rehabilitation process: “You have to reinvent yourself because you start from scratch in every sense: physical, mental, and personal. You feel like you’re not a football player.” He also revealed what kept him strong: “I clung to the people I have by my side, my family and friends. They tell you not to give up, they help you and push you forward. Those are the people you need to avoid choosing the easy path, which is to throw in the towel and be done.”

Finally, Martínez reflected: “Obviously, it’s a bit strong to say thanks to this injury because no one likes being injured, but thanks to this injury, today I can say I have changed a lot as a person. The perspective on life: I value life more, the weather, the smell of grass, a ball, going out to the field, everything.”

After Manchester United's victory against Newcastle on December 26, which marked his return to the field after ten months of inactivity, Martínez explained: “I feel very good. The club did a great job, and that helped a lot for me to feel good now. Physically and mentally, I’m better than ever.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.