Dibu Martínez, always at the limit: from being tackled injured in the World Cup to a jaw fracture that moves everyone

Find live football results, upcoming matches, standings, and all the statistics of the main world tournaments. Dibu Martínez, always at the limit: from a torn-ligamented in the World Cup to a jaw fracture that shocks everyone The goalkeeper suffered a serious injury while going all out for a ball in the match between Chelsea and Everton; he was operated on and will miss the national team matches - 7 minutes read' Emiliano Martínez is not only a very good goalkeeper, pure charisma and heart. The idol of the boys, an occurrence born in Qatar 2022 with his magical saves and time-passing. Dibu is an example of resilience: at Aston Villa, in September 2020, he just found his place in the world, after going back and forth between Arsenal and lesser teams. He was 28 years old: from there, repeated glory with the national team, the move to Chelsea, awards for double as the best goalkeeper in the world. However, the most important thing in his life and work is something more: he always plays on the edge, he never gives up. He does not hide his hands, his legs, or his soul: he played with a serious injury during the World Cup and now life tests him again, a victim of a jaw fracture, in a match where Chelsea won 2-0 against Everton, in an image that moves the world. The fans of the small big team of Liverpool, who filled the Hill Dickinson Stadium, applauded him with respect. These are things that do not usually happen, beyond the usual good customs of the British. The action that triggered Martínez's injury occurred in the 20th minute of the second half, when Everton had a set-piece ball in danger near the Chelsea area. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall took the low cross and Dibu lunged to clear it with his fists. In the flight, he collided with defender Jarrad Branthwaite and did not get up again. Medical teams immediately entered and after 8 minutes of attention, the goalkeeper was taken away on a stretcher, under a rain of applause. As he lay on the pitch, the tension in the atmosphere was rising. Medical attention included immobilization of his neck and oxygen; the goalkeeper was taken directly to a hospital for evaluation. He was replaced by the Belgian Mike Penders, 21 years old. Xabi Alonso, the Chelsea coach, provided some information about the Argentine footballer. "As far as I know, he left the stadium conscious. And now he is in the hospital, where tests are being done. So we'll see. That's all I know for now." Later, it was learned that the 34-year-old from Mar del Plata was operated on and now the rehabilitation phase begins. The relief: he received good results from the head CT scans and the back and neck tests. THE PLAY THAT REMOVED DIBU FROM THE FIELD: Emiliano Martínez came to cut a cross, but suffered a strong collision with Branthwaite and the Argentine goalkeeper had to leave the field on a stretcher. — SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) October 17, 2026 📺 Watch the Premier League on ESPN on the DisneyPlus Premium plan pic.twitter.com/F56nOkoXCB The recovery time is usually between 4 and 6 weeks for initial bone consolidation, and 6 weeks to 3 months (or more) for a return to competition with physical contact. There is something clear, while waiting for the official medical report: he will not be in the last matches of the national team this year. The team led by Lionel Scaloni will play two friendly matches during the November FIFA window: on Friday the 13th he will face Uruguay in Buenos Aires (will it be at the Bombonera?), while on Tuesday the 17th he will play against Costa Rica in Córdoba. They will be special matches: for the first time in 21 years, Lionel Messi will be out of the team's orbit by his own decision. Dibu, one of Argentina's vice-captains, will be absent for medical reasons. Just in the World Cup, in which he had a brilliant performance in the final against Spain, he gave everything without being at full capacity. Another sign of his courage. As soon as he stepped on the pitch in the warm-up before the debut against Argentina, it was the first time that night in Kansas City that the public stood up to applaud a bulwark. That day, Dibu returned the kindness with his fist raised, despite the pain from having suffered a fracture in the ring finger of his right hand in the prelude to the Euro League final. He did not have surgery, had a recovery in record time, and defended the goal in the 3-0 presentation. "I suffered a lot these days to reduce the inflammation. The physio bandaged me 75 times," Dibu said, with humor. "It was a totally different preparation. I couldn't do much on the field. Obviously with Martín (Tocalli, goalkeeper coach), with Capu, the physio, it was triple shift trying to get rid of the swelling in the finger, which was a lot, to be honest. I let my body heal itself. I didn't have surgery and it was the best decision," he recounted at that moment. However, some time later, he told some details of the physical ordeal he had to go through and, more than any mortal would have offered, he always was. He always is. "All the specialists told me I couldn't play and that I had to have surgery," he warned. And more than that: "During the group stage I couldn't train with the group. That affected me a lot because I am a person who loves to train. Two days before the first match, I was shaking with one hand, I looked like a lame," he recounted in his own way. The description of that little medical drama takes on more weight now, as the football world continues its recovery. "After winning a final with a broken finger and knowing you could miss the group stage of the World Cup, your head fills with questions," he warned. The mental factor, like so many others (his psychologist, in times of forced youth inactivity, was his travel companion), uses him to his advantage. "It's just the head. It doesn't affect me. The important thing was to be prepared to help the team," he assumes. He is a leader who says what he thinks. More than once he showed some counterpoint to the minor rivals who are often cited with Argentina. His attitude in the 7-0 against the Burkina Faso youth team was another example. Dibu's case reminded some memoriosos of a similar situation that Loco Gatti suffered in the Metropolitan 1976, in a classic between Boca and Independiente. At the 10th minute, there was a very tough tackle between Daniel Astegiano and the goalkeeper, who was knocked out on the pitch with blood in his mouth. The doctors helped him and after a few minutes they found that he had suffered a triple jaw fracture. Loco was hospitalized and recovered before returning to the fields: it took only 28 days. A lovable character, from a hospital bed at Santa Isabel sanatorium, he cheered for River in the prelude to a superclásico that took place days later. "Of course I'm there to play, besides River's forward never reaches the goal," he smiled. There are other cases of goalkeepers, like Esteban Andrada, who suffered the fracture of the lower jaw after a collision with Dedé, Cruzeiro's defender, in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores of 2018. He returned 59 days later. In any case, Dibu's aura surpasses everything. 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