The alarm went off in the Argentine National Team. Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez suffered a fracture in the ring finger of his right hand during the warm-up prior to the Europa League final. although he still played the 90 minutes in Aston Villa’s 3-0 victory over Freiburg to become European champion.
“Today I broke my finger while warming up,” the goalkeeper confessed after the game. Medical studies confirmed that the injury will not require surgery and which will have an approximate recovery of 20 daysnews that brought relief to Lionel Scaloni’s coaching staff.
Despite the optimism, times are tight and the goalkeeper would be ruled out for the friendlies against Honduras and Iceland prior to the 2026 World Cup. The priority will be for him to arrive in condition for the Albiceleste’s debut against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City.
While Martínez recovers, Gerónimo Rulli and Juan Musso will fight for a place in goal during preparation. However, in Argentina there is no doubt: if Dibu recovers in time, he will continue to be the undisputed owner of the world champion goal.
A few days before the World Cup
Although recovery times are tight, optimism reigns in the Albiceleste environment and everything indicates that the goalkeeper will be fit for the World Cup debut against Algeria.
The medical team is committed to conservative treatment and is confident that the man from Mar del Plata can make a comeback even before the decisive phase. Meanwhile, Scaloni will take advantage of the previous friendlies to give minutes to Gerónimo Rulli and Juan Musso.
Argentina is in Group J along with Algeria, Austria and Jordan, but its sights are set much further afield. Therefore, if there is even the slightest risk of relapse, the coaching staff does not rule out preserving the Draw so that it can fully reach the direct crosses, where it usually becomes a decisive figure.