Liga MX

Is Henry Martin’s injury nightmare finally over? Club América striker eyes another return vs. Santos Laguna

América star Martín prepares for another comeback attempt after a long injury spell filled with setbacks and repeated recoveries.

Adrian Macias

Alejandro Reza Roddy Cons

Update: Apr 3rd, 2026 11:37 EDT

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Henry Martín’s name has appeared more often in medical reports than on the scoresheet. Since May 2025, the Club América striker has endured a nightmare stretch defined by multiple injuries, with every attempted return only worsening his physical condition.

A painful final sparks Martín crisis

It all began on May 25, 2025, during the Clausura 2025 final against Toluca, when the forward left the match in the 49th minute with severe pain in his thigh. The diagnosis was a serious hamstring tear, an injury that not only hit the club hard but also ruled him out of action with the Mexican national team.

Just days later, his absence from the 2025 Gold Cup was confirmed, beginning a long rehabilitation process. However, the pressure to return to competition sped up his recovery timeline and set the stage for a series of premature comebacks.

Is Henry Martin’s injury nightmare finally over? Club América striker eyes another return vs. Santos Laguna — América's Henry Martín has got used to being a spectator in recent months. MexSport Agency

Failed comebacks derail recovery

Rather than stabilizing his condition, Martín went through a string of failed returns. He briefly came back against Necaxa, but a training ground knock forced him out again.

Later, after taking a ball to the head, he pushed to return for the Clásico Nacional. He played just 21 minutes before suffering a sprain in his left knee that sidelined him for weeks.

By 2026, the situation reached a critical point when the player himself revealed he had suffered a detachment of the hamstring muscle, an injury considered extremely rare in professional soccer.

Numbers that show the decline

The impact of the injuries is clear in his stats. During the 2025 Apertura season, he played just 117 minutes, less than 7% of the tournament. He also scored only two goals across the entire year and missed 25 matches for club and country.

Just when he appeared to be regaining rhythm in February 2026, another setback arrived after the match against Puebla. What initially seemed like fatigue turned out to be a second-degree calf strain in his right leg, sidelining him for five weeks and ruling him out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

A cautious return with hope

After weeks of rehabilitation, Martín has been cleared to return and is back in training under head coach André Jardine. His potential return in the Clausura 2026 game against Santos Laguna this Saturday will be carefully managed with limited minutes, offering a key opportunity to show he can still compete at the highest level.