Injured Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez completed his first full training session with his national side on Thursday in preparations for Tuesday’s World Cup Group J opener against Algeria.
Martinez, 33, is considered likely to start the contest in Kansas City, Mo., which will be just the second match played between the teams and the first since a 2007 friendly.
He picked up a finger injury warming up for Aston Villa’s 3-0 win over Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League final on May 20. He still played the match and elected against surgery to ensure his availability for the World Cup, but he was left out of Villa’s final Premier League fixture, a 2-1 win at Manchester City on May 24.
Known as “Dibu” by Argentine fans, Martinez was arguably his country’s second-most-important player during their 2022 World Cup title run behind Lionel Messi, earning the tournament’s Golden Glove honor for his performance.
His one-on-one save against France’s Randal Kolo Muani deep in the second half of extra time forced the 2022 final to penalties, where he also saved Kingsley Coman from the spot. Argentina ultimately won the tiebreak 4-2 to lift their first World Cup trophy since 1986.
In 2026 qualifying, Martinez played 16 of Argentina’s 18 matches and kept 10 clean sheets to help the Albiceleste become the first South American side to seal their spot in North America. He has 59 career caps since 2021.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
