Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez, Sempat Ingin Pensiun setelah Cedera ACL

JAKARTA - Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez revealed that during the difficult period of his recovery from an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury, he seriously considered leaving football.

"After the first two or three weeks, I didn't want to play football anymore. I had a broken leg, now a knee."

"I thought, enough, I don't want to know anything anymore," the Argentine said in an interview with AFA Estudio.

The defender's injury problems began with a foot injury at the end of the 2022/2023 season before a series of problems limited him to just 11 appearances in the Premier League the following season.

He then suffered an ACL injury in February 2025, with the subsequent surgery keeping him out for 10 months.

"When I was injured, I lost my balance completely because the pain was unbearable. My first reaction, I'm going home, I'm going to be with my family in Argentina."

"Enough, I don't want to suffer anymore, I want to get better, I want to enjoy life. However, when you lose your balance, you can say anything because you are not connected to yourself."

"I definitely accepted the three weeks of mourning, where I was not myself," said Martinez.

The rehabilitation process forced the 27-year-old to rediscover himself. He noted that during the peak of his recovery, the constant pain and fear of never returning to his previous level came to his mind.

"You have to reinvent yourself in every way, yaiu physically, mentally, and personally. You feel like you're not a football player," he said.

Martinez praised his close circle and the professional psychological support that helped him survive, but highlighted one event that changed his life as his main motivation, namely the birth of his daughter.

"What made the difference was the birth of my daughter. I was injured and a month later she was born. I thought it was impossible for me to give up."

"She is my driving force every day. I go to every training session to give my best solely and especially for my daughter," he said.

The centre-back returned to action on November 30, 2025 against Crystal Palace. Since then, he has gradually reintegrated into the United squad and continued training with the Argentina National Team under Lionel Scaloni - a clear sign of the coaching staff's confidence in him ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

"I feel really good. I was a little surprised because I thought coming back would be more difficult, but we managed my minutes well. Everything was very progressive."

"The club did a great job and it really helped me feel good now. Physically and mentally, I'm better than before," said the defender.

Martinez further that he finally chose to find wisdom in his difficulties.

"I started to reflect. Let's see, what does this incident want to show me? What can I learn from this situation? How can I grow personally? I use it as a positive message."

"Sometimes, you have to experience defeat to learn and start over. Sometimes you feel like you're in the clouds. That's when life - or whatever it is - sends these messages to say, look, this is not the way."

"Obviously, it's a bit exaggerated to say thank you for this injury because no one likes injuries. However, thanks to this injury, I can say today that I have changed a lot as a person."

"My perspective on life is that I appreciate life more, the weather, the smell of the grass, the ball, stepping on the field - everything," Martinez said.