Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez set off the alarms at Aston Villa and in the Argentine National Team. The goalkeeper from Mar del Plata was injured during the warm-up before the game against Nottingham Forest on the 32nd date of the Premier League, forcing his last-minute
replacement.
The 33-year-old goalkeeper was going to start at the City Ground, however during the pre-competitive movements he began to show physical discomfort. Although he tried to continue with exercises and long shipments, he quickly showed painful gestures and shook his head after each intervention
.
Minutes later, Martínez approached the goalkeeper's coach to inform him of the situation, which led to the decision to remove him from the team. In his place was the Dutch Marco Bizot, a regular substitute, while the juvenile James Wright, 21 years old and without a debut in Primera, was urgently included in
the bench.
Beyond the immediate impact on the villains, the situation causes concern in the Argentine National Team just over two months before the 2026 World Cup. Martínez is a fundamental part of the world champion team and his physical condition will be closely monitored by the coaching staff of Lionel Scaloni. For now, medical studies are awaited to determine the severity of the injury and the time frame for the archer's recovery
.
The other Martinez of concern
in addition to Dibu, who recently raised concerns in the Albiceleste, was Lautaro Martínez. The Inter forward suffered a slight muscle strain in the soleus of his left leg, suffering from a previous injury in the same area that left him off the court for at least 15 days
.
