Argentina’s men’s national football team is gearing up for its 2026 World Cup debut after two encouraging friendly victories. Yet concerns over the squad’s growing injury list remain a headache for coach Lionel Scaloni.
The biggest piece of news from the Albiceleste camp following Thursday’s open training session was the return of goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez to full training, with the Aston Villa star once again working with both hands and wearing his gloves.
Martínez fractured a finger on his right hand during the warm-up ahead of the Europa League final on May 20, sparking concerns among Argentina supporters less than a month before the tournament.
Since then, the goalkeeper had been training without gloves to avoid putting pressure on the injury, limiting himself to one-handed drills under the close supervision of the coaching staff.
After the latest medical examinations showed the fracture was healing well, Martínez was cleared to resume regular training. He completed a tailored routine that included shots taken with a regulation-size ball to his left side and exercises using a smaller, softer ball to test the injured hand.
