Lisandro Martinez scored a stunning goal, set up another for Lionel Messi, and helped Argentina survive a 3-2 thriller against Cape Verde in the World Cup round of 32. But the part of his night that mattered most happened long before kickoff.
The Manchester United defender revealed after the match that he seriously considered retiring from football after a devastating injury in January 2025 kept him out until late November. That’s nearly 11 months on the sideline. For a guy who plays like his life depends on every tackle, it was a mental gut punch he wasn’t sure he could absorb.
“This injury was the worst of all,” Martinez told TyC Sports. Then he explained what pulled him through. “My daughter was born, and everything balanced out. I saw my wife give birth, the effort she made, and I thought: How can I not keep fighting?”
It’s a raw, human answer. Not some sports-science breakdown or a motivational quote from a coach. Just a guy watching his partner go through something harder than any hamstring tear and realizing he had no excuse to walk away.
Martinez’s performance against Cape Verde showed no signs of rust or doubt. He opened the scoring with a curling shot from outside the box that looked like something a winger would be proud of, then pinged a long ball over the top for Messi to finish. That’s the kind of night you dream about when you’re grinding through rehab alone in a gym at 7 a.m.
Messi as the blueprint
Martinez also made it clear that his captain’s longevity is a daily reminder to keep pushing. Messi is 39 now and still out there battling through group-stage knockout pressure.
“Leo’s story is a great example for me,” Martinez said. “He’s suffered a lot in his career and never gave up. Today, at 39, he’s still fighting. He’s already won everything. He’s the best player in history, not just in football but in all sports. And those of us who come after him, how can we not keep fighting?”
That’s the kind of talk that might sound like hero worship if it came from someone else, but Martinez has the scars to back it up. He missed the tail end of last season, most of this season, and watched Argentina qualify for the World Cup without him. Fighting his way back into the starting XI was its own mini-campaign.
What’s next for Argentina
Argentina will face Egypt in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Martinez is expected to start again, anchoring a backline that’s been tested but hasn’t broken yet. He’s chasing a second straight World Cup title after the 2022 run in Qatar. That would put him in rare company among modern defenders.
But for Martinez, the medal isn’t the whole point anymore. The comeback itself already is.
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