Manchester United star Lisandro Martinez has made a startling admission, revealing he contemplated retiring from professional football during a gruelling recovery from a severe injury last year.
The Injury That Pushed Him to the Brink
The Argentine defender, 27, suffered a devastating blow during United's 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in February, damaging his anterior cruciate ligament. This set in motion a nine-month lay-off, with Martinez finally returning to the pitch in the 2-1 win against Palace at Selhurst Park at the end of November.
In a remarkably frank interview with AFA Estudio, the centre-back opened up about the profound mental toll of his rehabilitation. "You feel like you're not a football player anymore," Martinez confessed. "You feel pain and think you'll never play football again." He described the experience as a "mental and physical imbalance" and admitted, "After the first two or three weeks, to be honest, I didn't want to play football anymore."
A History of Setbacks and Missed Finals
This was not Martinez's first major injury setback since his £55 million move to United in July 2022. In April 2023, he fractured a metatarsal in the 2-2 Europa League draw with Sevilla, requiring a second operation and ruling him out for the rest of that season. These problems sidelined him for a total of 180 days across two separate spells in 2023.
The cruel timing of these injuries meant Martinez was absent for two significant cup finals. He missed United's 2023 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City and was also unable to feature in the Europa League final loss against Tottenham last May.
The Mental Battle and Road to Recovery
Martinez credited his support network and professional help for pulling him through the darkest moments. "I clung to the people around me, my family, my friends," he said. He also worked extensively with a psychologist, focusing on daily improvement.
"The easy way out is to just give up and that's it," Martinez stated. "But, I always say, it's in the face of adversity that you show your true character. So I reconnected with myself, I reconnected with my roots... and I gave it my all, day after day." He described his daily gym sessions as his "match" and emphasised a day-by-day approach.
His perseverance paid off. "With each passing month, I saw the results, I saw how I was getting stronger," he reflected. "And today, on the pitch, I feel excellent, and I say that thanks to those days, well, of suffering, of not giving up."
Now, having made 101 appearances for United, scoring three goals, Martinez is back in contention. He could feature for new head coach Michael Carrick when United host rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford this Saturday, marking a remarkable turnaround from the brink of retirement.
