LISANDRO MARTINEZ is going in for the kill at Wembley on Sunday.
The Manchester United centre-back’s passion and commitment has made him a crowd favourite.
And ahead of facing Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final, the Argentine — nicknamed ‘The Butcher’ — admits it is difficult to control himself sometimes.
Martinez, 25, said: “Yeah. It is hard. It is really hard. Sometimes I want to kill but you have to control as well.”
The 25-year-old Argentinian World Cup winner produced a typically full-on display in the 2-1 win over Barcelona on Thursday night.
Now he wants to put on that same show of typical Argentinian spirit beneath the arch against the Toon.
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Martinez said: “Argentinian players are always like this, we are passionate.
“Football for us is everything so that is why we always give everything of us.
“As a kid, I remember when I was really young, like four or five years old, I would start to fight and start to cry when I lose, so it is something we have in the blood, we have in the heart. It’s our culture.”
While he has only ever been sent off once, for two bookable offences while playing in Argentina, his nickname is not something he has ever shied away from.
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He said: “Yes, I am called the Carnicero — The Butcher — of Amsterdam.
“We Argentines do everything with passion and when I go out on the pitch, I fight for every ball. If I have to step over dead bodies, I do it.”
If Martinez needed any further inspiration following his £56.7million move from Ajax last summer, it came with doubters.
At 5ft 9in he is the shortest centre-back in the Premier League and pundits were queuing up to say he would not make it in this country.
Those voices grew louder after a disastrous 4-0 defeat at Brentford in the Red Devils United’s second game of the season when he was hooked at half-time.
At the start of September, this was the view of former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
The TV pundit, 45, said: “I’m convinced this can’t work because the size of him playing in a back four.
“Maybe he could go left-back. Maybe he could play in a back three but in a back four, he cannot play there in the Premier League.”
Martinez shrugged it all off. He said: “It’s just an opinion. I understand when people say that — they show me who they are, you know? It’s not my problem.
“In the beginning, in Argentina, it was the same. But it’s normal because in football, it’s not normal to play as a centre-back with my height. It’s not easy as well.”
Martinez always believed that if he worked on his anticipation and reading of a game it would make up for anything he lacked in his height.
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He said: “You have to be very clever on the pitch because you have to be sharp in every situation. If you’re smart you can win the duels.”
“Every day you can learn about it. After the game, you have your feelings about the game, but also you have to watch some videos if you want to improve. In my case, I do that.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
