Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez had an unceremonious end to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Argentine picked up an injury as his team lost the final 1-0 to Spain after extra time in the final. La Albiceleste had booked their place in the final via a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over England in the semi-final. Lionel Scaloni’s team had trailed in that game until the 85th minute, before goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, both set up by Lionel Messi, kept their World Cup hopes alive. Argentina made three changes to the starting XI for the final against La Roja. Gonzalo Montiel replaced Nahuel Molina at right-back, while Rodrigo De Paul returned to the starting XI at the expense of Leandro Paredes. Meanwhile, Nicolas Gonzalez was preferred to Giuliano Simeone. Lisandro Martinez, who had played 72 minutes against England, retained his place in the starting XI, making his first World Cup final appearance. Argentina undone by Spain Spain looked the livelier side in the opening minutes of the game, although they failed to break a resolute Argentina defence. The reigning champions did have moments of their own, but it was a fairly even first half of football. Unfortunately, Lisandro Martinez’s involvement in the World Cup final ended in the 44th minute, when he picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Nicolas Otamendi. The game remained 0-0 at the break. La Roja, however, hit a higher gear after the break and pinned Argentina back to the wall. La Albiceleste, meanwhile, were not helped by the injury to Cristian Romero, who had to be replaced by Facundo Medina in the 70th minute. Things went from bad to worse for Argentina when Enzo Fernandez received his marching orders after picking up a second yellow in the third minute of second-half stoppage time. Argentina held on to ensure that the match headed to extra time, but Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute to secure a monumental victory for Spain. United ace picks up injury in the grandest stage Martinez had a mixed outing in the World Cup final until his unfortunate injury. The Argentine was outstanding in the opening stages of the tournament, but was not at his best in the semi-final against England. The Butcher also had a nervy start to the game and struggled to assert his dominance on the pitch. The 28 year old had 31 touches in the game, registering 29 passes with a 76% passing accuracy. Martinez was involved in five duels, but won only two of them. He also lost possession seven times and gave away one foul. The Argentine registered two clearances, one interception and won one foul. He was dribbled past twice in the game, and picked up a yellow card in the 41st minute and left the pitch with an injury shortly after. Lisandro Martinez Stats vs Spain StatisticLisandro Martínez Touches33 Accurate Passes22/29 (76%) Key Passes0 Crosses (Accurate)- Long Balls (Accurate)8 (3) Shots on Target0 Shots Blocked (Attack)0 Dribbles (Successful)0 (0) Duels (Won)5 (2) Ground Duels (Won)4 (1) Aerial Duels (Won)1 (1) Possession Lost7 Fouls1 Was Fouled- Offsides- Clearances4 Blocked Shots (Defence)2 Interceptions1 Tackles (Won)1 Dribbled Past2 Source: Sofascore. Final Thoughts Martinez initially appeared to have brushed his fitness issues aside at the tournament, having started seven of Argentina’s eight games, but things have now taken a complicated turn. United fans will hope that his injury is not serious and he can be fit for the start of the season. Featured image by Michael Steele/Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
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