The view from Argentina on Lisandro Martinez

Wednesday 21 December 2022 16:13

Lisandro Martinez might not have been involved in the World Cup final, but during five appearances in Qatar, he proved a vital cog within a successful Argentina squad.

United's summer acquisition from Ajax was already on a high heading into the mid-season tournament, after establishing himself as a firm fan favourite after just 21 appearances in Red.
 
We caught up with football writer and United fan Sam Kelly, who hosts Argentinian football podcast Hand of Pod, to get a South American viewpoint on the secrets to Licha's successes, how his homeland has helped to shape him and where his career might go in the future...
This is why fans love Martinez Video

This is why fans love Martinez

Presenting two minutes and 21 seconds of defensive aggression by our fans' favourite Lisandro Martinez...

What do Argentinians think of Lisandro Martinez in general, Sam? And how did the public judge his contribution to the World Cup triumph?
“He was obviously been third choice centre-back for most of the World Cup, probably because Lionel Scaloni isn't quite sold on having a relatively short guy in a centre-back pairing. That's probably fair enough – international managers don't have as long with their players, after all, and Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi had already won last year's Copa América for him – but there's plenty of recognition of how good Licha is. 
 
“Any time an Argentine signs for one of Europe's biggest clubs there's pride here, and even though people are aware United haven't had the best time over the last decade, everyone's still aware of what a big club they are. He's also pulled off quite a trick by being highly thought of here in spite of not having played much for any big Argentine clubs: he played one match for Newell's Old Boys before moving to Defensa y Justicia, whose own fans wouldn't even call them a big club. 
 
“It's often hard for players to get credit here if they don't play for one of the country's historical 'Big Five', but Licha was so good during his two seasons at Defensa, and looked so comfortable at both centre-back and defensive midfield, that people became aware of him anyway. 
 
“As for the World Cup, he obviously didn't play as much as he'd probably have liked to, but everyone here is very well aware of how important the whole squad was for the tournament, and that means none of these players will need to worry about being undervalued in future!”
Why do you think Lisandro has become so popular, so quickly with Manchester United fans?
“First and foremost because he wanted to be there! He had other offers on the table but as soon as he realised Erik wanted to keep working with him he didn't seem interested in talking to anyone else. And once he'd arrived I think the fact the whole defence had that rocky start to the season, with Licha taking some undeserved flack in the press about his lack of height, perceived inability to cope with the physical side of the English game and so on, gave him a chance for an instant 'in' with the fans. 
 
“United fans know we have to look after our players because the national press are out to get them, and when the comments are as daft as the ones about him were, and when the player starts to make his critics look very silly, very quickly indeed, it can only build an affinity. 
 
“All that is part of it, but there's also the fact he's a centre-back whose previous club's fans nicknamed him 'The Butcher'. Who wouldn't want a player with that nickname on their team?!”
Sam Kelly lives in Buenos Aires and hosts Argentina football podcast Hand of Pod.
Do you think there is a unique characteristic or attitude that the majority of Argentinian footballers share? Most of the players United have had in the past seemed to have had a very strong, aggressive style – is that something that comes from Argentina's culture or just a coincidence?
“There's a side to Argentine culture that's very unafraid of combativeness in general, yes – not only physical. There's an attitude that the people in charge, whether that means politicians, referees or other authority figures, aren't going to look after you, so you have to be able to look after yourself. 
 
“And top Argentine footballers – with very few exceptions indeed – come from backgrounds where they really didn't have much as kids. Carlos Tevez, for example, has often said in interviews that if he hadn't had a talent for football he'd have been in prison or dead long ago. Licha (who's from a provincial area not far from where Gabriel Heinze was born, as it happens) won't have had the same sorts of deprivation Tevez did growing up, but he's still had to fight to get to where he is. 
 
“And, frankly, he grew up in an area where if you're a kid there's not really much to do apart from play football. That's part of why the area of the country he's from has produced so many top players!”

What Licha said to Scott after his World Cup win

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Martinez's message to McTominay just showcases the elite mentality within this United squad.

As a Red yourself, what have been your favourite moments from his United career so far?
“The one that sticks in my mind and, for me, illustrates the other side of his game – his intelligence – is from the Liverpool match. Liverpool had a corner, and Licha started to move off the line to challenge for it, but saw he wasn't going to get near it and decided he'd be of more value staying on the line in case there was a shot. 
 
“If you watch the replays you can see that as the ball's knocked down in the box, he's moving back to the line, and the ball falls to Bruno, whose clearance is sliced and ends up hitting Licha rather than going in for an embarrassing own goal. All the reaction to that at the time seemed to be that it was a fluke, that Bruno was a lucky boy (which he was, of course!) and that Licha just happened to be standing there, but he didn't just happen to be standing there. He'd only just got back there when the ball hit him. He'd moved, seen where the greater danger was, and put himself in the best position to cover – and his quick reading of the game and decision-making helped us to a huge win. 
 
“There have been more obvious and spectacular moments from him, but that was the point when I knew his confidence would only grow from there.”
How do you see Martinez's future career going, with both Argentina and United? What do you think he can achieve, personally and within the two teams?
“For United he just needs to keep on keeping on. He's at an age where he should only get better over the next five years, and given that he's comfortably the youngest of the four senior centre-backs he clearly ought to be the main man the club plan around in that part of the pitch in the medium to long term. 
 
“He has a hunger and professionalism that should help him bed back in once he's back from the massive high he must be feeling right now as a world champion, and if he keeps up the performances he put in before the World Cup then on an individual level you'd have to think he'd be in the running for defensive accolades at the end of the season. If Erik's revolution continues to gather pace then the team have to challenge for trophies again regularly, and in Licha they've got the perfect player to do that. 
 
“With Argentina, I think he's got to have an eye on cementing a starting place alongside Romero before long. Otamendi's 34, so a place in that defence will open up before much longer, you'd think, and while German Pezzella was preferred as the defensive sub in the World Cup final, Licha seemed to be the preference in most of the other matches. Argentina are going to be defending titles in the next two major tournaments they play, and I think he'll be first choice by the time those campaigns begin, even if Otamendi isn't going anywhere in the immediate future.”

You can check out Argentina football podcast Hand of Pod here.

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