Martinez Plays Through Broken Finger as Aston Villa End 44-Year European Wait

Emiliano Martinez revealed he played through a broken finger during Aston Villa’s Europa League final victory over Freiburg, adding another remarkable chapter to his career of winning finals.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper suffered the injury during the warm-up moments before kick-off in Istanbul on Wednesday night. Medical staff rushed to assess the damage after the Argentine hurt his finger while preparing for the match. Despite the pain and uncertainty surrounding the injury, Martinez decided to continue and completed the entire game as Villa cruised to a 3-0 win.

Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers sealed a historic night for the club, securing Aston Villa’s first European trophy in 44 years and ending a 30-year wait for major silverware.

Although Freiburg rarely threatened Villa’s dominance, Martinez still made two important saves during the match while coping with the injury. After the final whistle, the 33-year-old explained the extent of the problem and admitted he had never experienced such an injury before.

He said: “Today I broke my finger during the warm-up and for me, every bad thing brings something good. I’ve done this my whole life and I’ll keep doing it.

“Should I be worried? Well, I’ve never had a broken finger before. Every time I caught the ball, it went the other way. But these are things you have to go through, and I’m proud to defend Aston Villa.”

The injury did little to slow Martinez down during the celebrations. The goalkeeper joined supporters in jubilant scenes after the match, leaping into the Villa fans before lifting manager Unai Emery into the air as celebrations continued long into the night.

Martinez’s condition will now be closely monitored by Argentina ahead of next month’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The national team is expected to announce its squad soon, and concerns remain over whether the goalkeeper will require treatment or recovery time before the tournament begins.

The final victory also maintained Martinez’s extraordinary record in championship matches. The former Arsenal goalkeeper has now won every final he has played in during his professional career, including an FA Cup final, the World Cup final, two Copa America finals and now the Europa League final with Aston Villa.