The revelation by Mandinha, Emiliano Martínez's wife, about the injury that almost kept him out of the World Cup

In her stories, Mandinha highlighted her husband's effort during the weeks leading up to the tournament.

Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez went through one of the most delicate moments of his career before the 2026 World Cup. Just a few days before the start of the tournament, the Argentina national team goalkeeper suffered a fracture to the ring finger of his right hand during the warm-up before the Europa League final, in which Aston Villa defeated Freiburg 3-0 and were crowned champions.

However, his participation in the World Cup was in doubt since the doctors told him he had to undergo surgery, but Dibu decided not to do it so as not to miss the World Cup. And his wife spoke about this after the World Cup final.

Mandinha's revelation about Dibu's injury

Two days after the 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup final, the Argentine goalkeeper's wife shared several stories on her official Instagram account where she not only showed her admiration for her husband and gratitude to the Albiceleste people, but also revealed the difficult path Dibu went through in order to be present at the World Cup.

'"Only the people closest to us truly know what you went through during this World Cup. We started this journey without even knowing whether you would be able to play a single match because of your broken finger," Mandinha began. "You had already won a European title playing through incredible pain, and when we finally had a well-deserved break in Portugal, you still couldn't truly rest," she added.'

In addition, she highlighted her husband's effort and sacrifice in having to give up some activities and special moments with his children, Santiago and Ava, in order "not to risk worsening the injury":

There were countless calls, doctors and specialists recommending surgery, knowing that if you had the operation, it almost certainly meant missing the World Cup, she recalled. You had to make one of the most difficult decisions of your career: trust that your body would heal, leave it in God's hands and believe that what was meant to be, would be, she revealed, but that would not be all.

After "weeks full of X-rays, casts, and sleepless nights because of constant pain, uncertainty, and frustration," Mandinha revealed that even after traveling to the United States, Dibu was unable to train with his teammates. "You never complained," she emphasized.

During the tournament, Emiliano stated that he knew it would hurt, but that he still avoided surgery so he could play with the Argentina National Team. And that’s what he did, defending the Albiceleste goal until the final against Spain, where he saved the team with 11 saves, becoming thegoalkeeper with the most saves in a World Cup final.

This did not go unnoticed by the fans, and even less so by Mandinha, who highlighted the record: "You gave absolutely everything. You left even the last part of yourself on that field. Your performance in the final was extraordinary, and everyone saw it. You gave everything back to your country, to your teammates, and to the millions of people who believe in you. You arrived in Argentina yesterday and received that incredible love from your people. And it was because they recognized exactly what I always knew. They saw your professionalism. They saw your sacrifice. They saw your heart. And they saw your enormous talent".

On the other hand, Mandinha referred to the challenges she faced in this World Cup, as well as the players' families in the United States: "It tested everyone," she said while recalling the trips, the routines with the children, and the exhaustion: "even so, in the midst of all that chaos, this group became stronger," she said.

Meanwhile, the coming days will be key to the future of Emiliano, after casting doubt on his continuity with the Albiceleste in his latest post on Instagram.