Martinez Participates in Final with Broken Finger and Sets Example of Sacrifice
The Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez caused a surprise after Aston Villa won the UEFA Europa League title by defeating Germany's Freiburg 3-0, revealing that he played the entire historic match while suffering from a broken finger.
In statements made to the media at the "Beşiktaş Park" stadium in Istanbul, Martinez revealed a night of suffering, saying: "My finger was broken today during the warm-up just before the match started! I have never suffered a broken finger before, and every time I caught the ball tonight, my finger bent in the opposite direction due to the break."
Despite the severe pain, the World Cup-winning goalkeeper refused to withdraw from the starting lineup. He endured his injury by taping his finger with medical tape to lead his team to a clean sheet and a continental title that had been absent for 44 years.
He commented sarcastically: "Should I be worried? I've played football this way my entire life and will continue to do so. It seems that everything bad that happens to me brings a happy ending in the end."
In statements made to the media at the "Beşiktaş Park" stadium in Istanbul, Martinez revealed a night of suffering, saying: "My finger was broken today during the warm-up just before the match started! I have never suffered a broken finger before, and every time I caught the ball tonight, my finger bent in the opposite direction due to the break."
Despite the severe pain, the World Cup-winning goalkeeper refused to withdraw from the starting lineup. He endured his injury by taping his finger with medical tape to lead his team to a clean sheet and a continental title that had been absent for 44 years.
He commented sarcastically: "Should I be worried? I've played football this way my entire life and will continue to do so. It seems that everything bad that happens to me brings a happy ending in the end."
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