With a knee injury, José Martínez unlikely to play for Corinthians in 2026 | OneFootball

After showing up more than a month late, Venezuelan José Martínez risks not even stepping onto the field for Corinthians in 2026. The 31-year-old midfielder is believed to have suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and, as a result, is expected to miss most of the season for Timão. 

Corinthians’ preseason for 2026 was scheduled for January 3, but Martínez only reported to CT Joaquim Grava last Saturday, after arriving in Brazil on Friday. Upon his arrival, the Venezuelan reportedly informed the club that he was injured. 

The midfielder went a month without training beyond what Corinthians had planned due to issues with obtaining his passport and work visa in Brazil after spending his vacation in Venezuela. 

The information about José Martínez’s injury was initially reported by GE. Corinthians, however, has not officially confirmed the case. 

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José Martínez – (Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Internal Discomfort

José Martínez’s delay in returning to Brazil caused discomfort among Corinthians’ board and coaching staff. Coach Dorival Júnior expressed irritation with the situation several times, saying that he too would need to renew his passport. 

“It’s an important situation because he’s still on our roster. This shouldn’t have happened. I also have to renew a passport. It should have been better orchestrated. Then, there was also the intervention in his country. When he gets here, we’ll see what he has to say and what measures the board will take,” said Dorival. 

The player traveled to Venezuela to reissue his passport during the holidays. However, during this period, there was a military attack by the United States, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, and caused delays in the functioning of the country’s public services. 

Because of this, Martínez only submitted his application for a new passport on January 13. Corinthians understands the bureaucratic issues, but believes the player could have started the process last year. The club was considering the possibility of applying a punishment to the midfielder. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.