Lisandro Martínez and four other Argentina players, including Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, found themselves in a travel nightmare while en route to South America for the upcoming international break. The group, which also included Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández, and Leicester City’s Facundo Buonanotte, faced significant delays in Brazil.
The Villa star, who had just suffered a defeat against Liverpool on Saturday evening, was part of the squad that travelled together following their Premier League fixtures. All five players began their journey to South America for Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru. They boarded a British Airways flight with a stopover in Rio de Janeiro. However, upon arrival, the final leg to Argentina was cancelled, leaving them stranded at Rio airport.
Emiliano Martínez shared a photograph with Martínez and Romero under the sun, captioned "30 hours and we continue waiting," along with a Brazil flag and sweating emoji. Eventually, the Argentine FA organised a private jet to transport the five players to the national team's camp. While waiting, Emiliano Martínez also posted a video of his United counterpart receiving medical treatment in the terminal, indicating concerns over an injury.
TyC Sports later confirmed that Lisandro Martínez had withdrawn from the squad due to a reported 'heavy blow' sustained during the match against Leicester, where he played the full 90 minutes. Following medical assessments by the national team, he was sent home. Facundo Medina from Lens has been called up to replace Martínez in Lionel Scaloni's squad.
Martínez's Manchester United teammate, Alejandro Garnacho, is expected to join the national team after taking a separate flight. The Argentine FA has stated that "Lionel Scaloni's team had their first training session today at the Lionel Messi grounds." The squad began their preparations with fifteen players starting in the gym before moving to the pitch for technical exercises. Additional members from England, including Garnacho, Nicolás Tagliafico, Nehuén Pérez, Lautaro Martínez, and Valentín Castellanos, were scheduled to arrive later that day.