Even earlier than the Champions League sport started on Wednesday, simply as he ran out of the tunnel, Emi Martinez, Argentina’s and Aston Villa’s goalkeeper, was obtained with a hoop of boos across the stadium. Few seconds into the sport, extra boos adopted when he obtained the ball for the primary time within the sport. And proper on the finish, after his staff misplaced 1-3 to PSG, the digicam zoomed in on Martinez, wincing in agony on the loss, and the group jeering.
A day earlier than the sport, he walked into the soccer stadium with a baseball cap that had an emblem of the World Cup, two Copa Americas masking a French cockerel. The picture was additionally posted on official twitter account of Aston Villa, triggering backlash from the PSG followers.
France’s So Foot journal republished their 2023 characteristic story “The Goalkeeper We Like to Hate”. “Earlier than the World Cup, he was an unknown. Then he upset France, embarrassed the remainder of the world along with his celebrations, and sparked a child increase in Argentina . In only one competitors, he grew to become a bastard to some and a hero to others,” it said.
His team-mate Youri Tielemans had mentioned he wasn’t fussed about Eli’s strategies. “I don’t actually care, I’m right here to play the sport, no matter occurs with Emi so long as it occurs respectfully in soccer phrases then I don’t thoughts,” he mentioned. I’ve received no thought (in regards to the cap), to be sincere. I don’t know, that’s in all probability his type, however the one factor I can say is that he’s prepared for the sport tomorrow, and he’s not spoken any otherwise than for every other sport. I feel he’s centered and he’s trying ahead.” And as soon as the sport started, the PSG followers laid into Martinez.
Dibu
pic.twitter.com/7vbUy9kgNd
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 8, 2025
None of it was shocking, in fact. It dates again to the Qatar world cup, the place he was magnificent in holding off France along with his talent and thoughts video games within the remaining shootouts, and was concerned within the taunting of Kylian Mbappe throughout Argentina’s World Cup trophy celebrations. The 30-year-old additionally made a vulgar gesture upon receiving the Golden Glove award on the World Cup remaining.
Standing subsequent to Messi on the celebration bus-parade in Buenos Aires in Argentina, Martinez was seen holding a child doll with the face of Mbappe caught to it. Virtually instantly after the ultimate, inside Argentina’s dressing room, the Argentina gamers danced and have been all heard singing “a minute’s silence for” in tandem, earlier than leaving a niche for goalkeeper Martinez to shout: “For Mbappe who’s lifeless!”
“There’s nothing private in opposition to him. I respect him enormously. If we sing about him, it’s as a result of he’s a star,” Martinez would say later. Consultant Karl Olvie , who was additionally the president of the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee , requested FIFA to strip the goalkeeper of the Golden Glove . Sports activities Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra described Martínez’s gestures and phrases as “pathetic, vulgar, and misplaced.” defender Adil Rami , a 2018 World Cup champion in Russia, wrote on his Instagram that Martinez was “the largest piece of shit on this planet of soccer, probably the most hated man.”
Final 12 months, he turned up in France for the primary time because the Qatar antics for Aston Villa’s sport in opposition to Lille. It was expectedly a tempestuous affair, with the group jeering his each contact, and he riling them with gestures – shushing them, and saving two penalties. And as ever, he defended his objective publish admirably and starred in Villa’s win. He was booked twice in that sport, for time-wasting.
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It’s on this context that he got here now to France to play the sport in opposition to PSG.
