Buenos Aires, May 31: Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez already had a knack for irritating his opponents as a child.
At a young age, well before he became a World Cup champion with Argentina, Martinez had tricks to unsettle the attackers he faced in youth tournaments in Mar del Plata, a seaside resort south of Buenos Aires.
If he didn’t feel like he was being tested enough, “Dibu” was capable of deliberately giving up rebounds so that opposing forwards would take more shots, Jorge Peta, one of his first coaches, revealed. Peta added: “He was already known for talking a lot.” A national hero for his stunning save to deny Randal Kolo Muani a late goal in the final against France at Qatar 2022 and his sixth sense for saving penalties, Martinez’ provocative temperament has deprived the star ‘keeper of unanimous recognition from the soccer world.Excessive celebrations and a strategy of distracting opponents before penalty kicks have earned him sanctions and resulted in FIFA enacting a code of conduct for goalkeepers in penalty shootouts.While Argentine captain Lionel Messi considers Martinez “fundamental” for Argentina and “one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” he does have critics. Italian coach Fabio Capello and Edwin Van der Sar, the legendary former goalkeeper for Ajax and Manchester United, are among them. Emmanuel Petit, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, suggested the Aston Villa goalkeeper get help to control his emotions.“What people think doesn’t affect me. They can have all their opinions, good or bad, but I know who I am, the kind of person I am,” Martinez, 33, responded to his detractors in an interview with ESPN in May 2025. “Off the field, I’m a dad, a husband, a son, but on the field, I just want to win, nothing else.” He’ll set to return to the big stage again with the Albiceleste at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, which kicks off on June 11.Martinez was relatively unknown to most fans until he was picked for Argentina. (AP)
