Emiliano Martinez reveals his finger ‘won’t ever return’ to normal after Chelsea goalkeeper played through injury at the World Cup

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has revealed that his finger will never return to normal after playing through a severe injury during Argentina's World Cup title defense. Speaking on Gaston Edul's YouTube channel, Martinez explained that he avoided surgery to stay eligible for the tournament, relying on a custom Adidas glove despite enduring extreme pain and playing like a zombie.

Martinez originally broke and dislocated the finger while warming up for Aston Villa's Europa League final win over Freiburg. He noted that the injury caused a proposed transfer to Juventus to collapse, though he eventually secured a £7.5million permanent move to Chelsea, where he is currently sidelined by a broken jaw.