Martinez wants to "kill" rivals as Man Utd star reacts to height criticism

24 February 2023 , 22:30

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Lisandro Martinez admits he sometimes wants to “kill” opponents – but has to curb his natural aggression or risk getting sent off.

Martinez was nicknamed 'The Butcher' in his time at Ajax because of his aggressive and uncompromising style of defending, chopping down opponents with brutal force. The Argentine World Cup winner has become a cult hero with Manchester United fans because of his total commitment to the cause and willingness to do whatever it takes to win a game.

Incredibly, despite his full-blooded approach to defending, Martinez has only received one red card in his career – back in his native Argentina when he was just starting out.

Ahead of Sunday's Carabao Cup final, Martinez said his natural instinct is to take out opponents with full force, but admitted he has to hold himself back – for fear of a red card.

“I can't do it, otherwise I will be suspended every game,” said Martinez, smiling. “You have to be clever. It's hard, really hard. Sometimes I want to kill, but you have to control as well. I think it's our culture from Argentina. We're always like this, we're passionate. Football, for us, is everything, so that's why we always give everything.

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“As a kid, I remember when I was really young, four or five, I started to fight and I cried when I lost, so it's something we have in the blood, in the heart, it's our culture.”

Lisandro Martinez has only received one red card in his career despite his attacking style (David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Martinez, 25, was pilloried after his first two games for United, defeats by Brighton and Brentford, with Sky pundit Jamie Carragher claiming, at 5ft 9in, he was too short to defend in the Premier League.

Carragher was proved spectacularly wrong, with Martinez proving himself one of the most consistent defenders this season and answering his critics with his displays on the pitch.

“I can't control that, you know, it's just an opinion,” said Martinez. “I understand when people say that – they show me who they are. It's not my problem. In the beginning, in Argentina, it was the same. In football, it's not normal to play as a centre-back with my height. It's not easy as well, you know.

“I try to do my best, but you have to work very hard. You have to be very clever on the pitch, you have to be sharp in every situation, because if you're smart you can win the duels.”

Martinez revealed how a frank team meeting, in which players did not hold back criticising each other, proved the turning point, a 3-1 win over Liverpool the launchpad for their impressive run.

“We changed the mentality,” said Martinez. “It was like 'okay, we're in the ground, but now we have to prove, to fight again'. Sometimes it's good to see the bad things and then you have to change on the pitch.

“We spoke in the dressing room, we said everything, we were very strict, we looked at the badge and said 'guys, this is not possible, we have to change this'. It was the best game to change, against Liverpool. We showed another spirit, another energy, then we started to know we could do it.”

Lisandro Martinez has starred for Manchester United since arriving in the summer (James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

It is a measure of Martinez's winning mentality that when team-mates texted him to congratulate him on winning the World Cup, he responded by saying it was time to end United's six-year trophy wait.

“I'm really happy I won the World Cup, but now the full focus is on Manchester United and my club,” said Martinez. "The reception of my team-mates was amazing. I feel a lot of love from them and that is very important. I feel really good here and now we have to look forward.