Thursday 11 February, a few hours after a first classic post celebrating the victory against PSV Eindhoven and the qualification of his people for the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup, Lisandro Martinez connects again to his Twitter account. This time around, the young Argentinian defender (23) from Ajax Amsterdam has nothing to celebrate.
“Ursula was murdered with more than 30 stab wounds by her former partner Matias Martinez, but also by the combined absence of the State and the judiciary who decided to ignore each of her 18 complaints. Now stop! “, he writes, reacting to the feminicide that has outraged Argentina since February 8: the murder of Ursula Bahillo, 18, in Rojas, a small rural town in the province of Buenos Aires.
A Úrsula la asesinó su ex pareja Matías Martínez a más de 30 puñaladas, pero también la mató el caso omiso del esta… https://t.co/0fMAVRd3D6
It’s also on social networks – “Today we have taken a huge step forward as a country” – that the player celebrated, at the end of 2020, the approval by the Argentine Senate of the law legalizing abortion. It is the fruit of a struggle of several years of a feminist movement of which Lisandro Martinez claims today.
“On the day of the vote, we hugged each other very tightly with my partner. The rejection on the first attempt, in 2018, generated a lot of stress. From now on, a great many women will be able to be helped ”, he argues at World from home in Amsterdam after returning from an English class.
Sheltered from the spotlight
Little known in France, the Argentinian, who will face Lille on Thursday February 18 with Ajax for the first round of the knockout stages of the Europa League, does not enjoy great exposure in his native country, despite summons. regular with the national team since March 2019 and his debut against Venezuela. This is undoubtedly the fault of a career distinct from the stars that Argentine football is used to producing and exporting to Europe.
Born in Gualeguay, a town in the province of Entre Rios, known for its carnival, Martinez took his time before agreeing to leave the family cocoon and join the training center of Newell’s Old Boys, the big city club. de Rosario – from which Lionel Messi comes -, who coveted him since he was 12 years old. “I was very attached to my mom, who also plays soccer. Then I went through a bad time, I started going out a lot at night, hanging out with the wrong people. I then met my current girlfriend, who put my head right side up. My parents pushed me to do with my life what I liked the most: to play football ”, he says.
Lisandro Martinez locates the origin of his feminist commitment in his relationship with his partner, herself involved in this field.
The third attempt is the good one with “the Lepers” (Newell’s nickname), but to win among the professionals Martinez must go into exile in Defensa y Justicia, a modest club in the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires, where the family atmosphere sticks to his personality. While the most gifted players of his generation (Lautaro Martinez, Exequiel Palacios, Leonardo Balerdi, Ezequiel Barco) shine in the big clubs of the country and panic recruiters around the world, he thrives away from the spotlight.
Vice-champion of Argentina during the 2018-2019 season, he was named to the type team of the Superliga, the elite of national football. Ajax Amsterdam, which has just amazed Europe again with its attacking game, spotted him and spent 7 million euros to bring him to the Venice of the North.
“Counter-cultural footballer”
A year and a half later, the Argentine defender, also capable of playing in the midfield, has made his place on the Old Continent. Nicknamed “the Butcher” by the Ajacid supporters for his rough interventions, Lisandro Martinez is now interested in the big guns (AC Milan, FC Barcelona) of European football, who came to survey his agents this winter. On the subject, the player offers only a few ready-made formulas, such as “I just want to give everything for Ajax” or “I only think about improving myself every day and helping my teammates”.
It is on another ground, that of the defense of the cause of the most fragile and the feminist commitment that the young man is most comfortable to express himself. “My parents still do housework in schools in Gualeguay today. When you come from all the way down like me, you know what it’s like to go through there. It’s impossible not to have empathy for others ”, he says, locating the origin of his feminist commitment in his relationship with his partner, herself involved in this field.
A rarity in an environment still dominated by machismo and each day a little more locked by smooth and sponsored communication. In Argentina, only a few retired players, like former Parisian Juan Pablo Sorin, have publicly taken a stand in favor of abortion, the social debate that has divided the country in two for months. In summer 2020, the daily La Nacion was interested in the speech of Ajax number 21, described as “Counter-cultural footballer”.
“Yes, I am like that, Lisandro Martinez slice. I am not a member of any political party, I am simply giving my opinion, being as honest as possible. I am clearly on the side of the rights of women and those in need. “ The Argentinian logically appreciated to see Kylian Mbappé, “An icon in football”, born like him in 1998, speak out about police violence. “We are in a privileged situation, a lot of people follow us because we play football. This is the opportunity to make certain people see things differently ”, he judges. Starting, perhaps, with his own teammates.
