Martinez fractured his leg during pre-match warm-up but insisted on playing despite the injury.

Aston Villa defeated Bundesliga side Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday, lifting the club's first trophy in 30 years.

After the match, Aston Villa's legendary goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez revealed that he suffered a finger fracture during pre-match warm-up, but he still managed to keep a clean sheet despite the injury.

After injuring his finger during warm-up, Martinez received immediate medical attention and had it bandaged by the medical team before starting the match. In a post-match interview, he said, "I broke my finger during warm-up today, but I don't think of it as a bad thing."

“I’ve never broken a finger before, and every time I try to catch a ball, the finger just slides off in the other direction. But these are things you have to go through.”

In the match, Aston Villa established a three-goal lead within the first hour thanks to goals from Tielemans, Buendia, and Rodgers. Facing Freiburg's counter-attack, Martinez, playing with an injury, made several brilliant saves to keep a clean sheet.

"The fans and the club are like family to me. Every time I defend Aston Villa's goal, I feel a tremendous sense of pride," Martinez said emotionally.

After the match, the Argentine star stated that the fracture would not affect his participation in the World Cup title defense campaign scheduled for June. He excitedly added, "I'm so happy. Now it's time to celebrate with my teammates, and then my focus will turn to the World Cup."

Image source: Internet