Lisandro Martínez has revealed he came close to walking away from football entirely after suffering the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that derailed his career last year.

The defender admitted the emotional and physical toll of the lengthy rehabilitation left him questioning whether he wanted to continue playing.

“I was considering retirement from football after I suffered the ACL injury last year,” Martínez admitted.

“I just didn’t want to suffer anymore.”

The injury, one of the most serious setbacks a footballer can face, left the Argentine at one of the lowest points of his career. But just as he was losing hope, a life-changing moment away from football gave him a new perspective.

The birth of his daughter became the turning point.

“I was really hit low, but then my daughter was born, and that kind of balanced everything out for me.”

Watching his wife go through childbirth transformed his outlook on adversity and reminded him what real resilience looks like.

“I saw how my wife gave birth and the immense effort she made, and I said to myself: ‘How am I not going to keep fighting?'”

Rather than ending his career, Martínez chose to fight his way back, drawing inspiration from his family during the most difficult period of his professional life.