Martinez has opened up on a secret injury battle that almost cost him his place in the starting line-up against Freiburg. The 33-year-old World Cup winner revealed that he suffered a broken finger during the pre-match warm-up, requiring urgent attention from the club’s medical staff before he could take to the pitch in Turkey.
Despite the significant discomfort, Martinez completed the full 90 minutes as Villa cruised to a 3-0 victory. Reflecting on the incident, the goalkeeper admitted it was a first for him, stating: “Today I broke my finger during the warm-up and for me, every bad thing brings something good. I’ve done this my whole life and I’ll keep doing it. Should I be worried? Well, I’ve never had a broken finger before. Every time I caught the ball, it went the other way. But these are things you have to go through, and I’m proud to defend Aston Villa.”
