Green light in goal: «Dibu» Martínez out of plaster for Algeria opener | OneFootball

Excellent news for Argentina’s goalkeeping position. The Albiceleste’s medical staff examined Emiliano Martínez and decided to remove the cast from the ring finger of his right hand. With this favorable progress in his recovery, it is now fully confirmed that the Mar del Plata native will start in the World Cup opener against Algeria, scheduled for next Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. in Kansas.

A rehabilitation pushed to the limit and without surgery

“Dibu” is in the final stretch of his recovery from a fracture suffered during the warm-up for the Europa League final between Aston Villa and Freiburg. At the time, the goalkeeper chose to play anyway because of the importance of the match. Later, with the World Cup just around the corner, surgery was ruled out—two decisions that slowed down his recovery timeline.

Because of this, Martínez joined the national team camp with a special bandage. In the first training sessions, he was seen doing physical therapy, footwork drills, or training with only one hand. However, the bone has healed optimally up to today, allowing the doctors to remove the cast and place a protective splint on the area instead. From now on, he will be able to put on his gloves, and the physical demands will gradually increase.

Confirmed between the posts for the opener

Despite not playing any minutes in the warm-up friendlies—where Juan Musso and Santiago Beltrán split goalkeeping duties against Honduras, and Gerónimo Rulli did so against Iceland—“Dibu’s” presence for the World Cup opener is an absolute certainty.

The goalkeeper from Mar del Plata will arrive at the match against Algeria exactly 27 days after suffering the injury. That means everything is set for him to guard Argentina’s goal at his second consecutive World Cup.

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