Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez is part of an Argentina side heading into the World Cup qualifiers without Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi is absent from Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers this month due to an injury.
It is a good test for his international teammates, who recognise Messi is at the tail-end of his career, and if he does make World Cup 2026, it will be his last.
Messi is the Argentina captain, leading to questions over who will step up in his absence.
Photo by Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty ImagesLisandro Martinez makes Lionel Messi statement
Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez is one of the leaders in the Argentina side, and he has already been quizzed on the captaincy, ahead of their upcoming games.
Argentina face Chile and then Colombia in two tough games, with the second being a re-match of the recent Copa America final.
Martinez is one of the leaders in the Argentina group, a World Cup and Copa America champion, yet he is not jumping to take Messi’s armband for the upcoming matches.
He has made clear he still regards the dazzling forward as Argentina’s leader.
Martinez is quoted via Directvsports: “Things are very clear here. Our captain is Leo. That is already a matter of course.
“These are issues for Scaloni [manager] and who he is going to put in, but there is no ego struggle or anything like that.
“We just come here, enjoy ourselves, laugh, and work with total seriousness, and whoever is chosen, well, welcome to the team.”
Lisandro Martinez credentials
Lisandro Martinez has credentials in his favour to be considered for the captaincy, he is regarded as an important part of the Argentina side.
Even when he was out injured in 2023/24, Martinez was still invited to training camps as he was regarded as such an important member of the squad.
Martinez has only 23 caps for Argentina, yet has achieved so much with his limited game time, winning two major tournaments.
Argentina need to show and prove to others that they can win without Messi. They need their big characters to step up, and armband or not, Martinez will be ready.
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Publish date : 2024-09-04 03:30:00
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