BUENOS AIRES (AP) \u2014 Goalkeeper Emiliano Mart\u00ednez already had a knack for irritating his opponents as a child.<\/p>\n
At a young age, well before he became a World Cup champion with Argentina, Mart\u00ednez had tricks to unsettle the attackers he faced in youth tournaments in Mar del Plata, a seaside resort south of Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n
If he didn\u2019t feel like he was being tested enough, \u201cDibu\u201d 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: \u201cHe was already known for talking a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019 provocative temperament has deprived the star \u2018keeper of unanimous recognition from the soccer world.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
While Argentine captain Lionel Messi considers Mart\u00ednez \u201cfundamental\u201d for Argentina and \u201cone of the best goalkeepers in the world,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat people think doesn\u2019t affect me. They can have all their opinions, good or bad, but I know who I am, the kind of person I am,\u201d Mart\u00ednez, 33, responded to his detractors in an interview with ESPN in May 2025. \u201cOff the field, I\u2019m a dad, a husband, a son, but on the field, I just want to win, nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n
The Martinez list<\/h3>\n
Mart\u00ednez was relatively unknown to most fans until he was picked for Argentina.<\/p>\n
Without ever playing in the Argentine first division, he left as a teenager for Arsenal, where he never established himself as the starting goalkeeper and was loaned out to lower-tier clubs including Oxford, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, and Reading.<\/p>\n
Despite his lack of playing time, Mart\u00ednez was called up by Lionel Scaloni for the senior national team in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He made his debut in June 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Chile. From then on, Argentina\u2019s goal had a new owner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sorry, but I will stop you, bro,\u201c he told Colombian defender Davinson S\u00e1nchez before stopping the first of the three penalties he would save in the 2021 Copa Am\u00e9rica semifinal, which Argentina would later win.<\/p>\n
Mart\u00ednez\u2019s psychological mastery of penalty kicks would have another chapter in the 4-3 shootout win over the Netherlands in the World Cup quarterfinals, in a match that became known as \u201cthe Battle of Lusail\u201d \u2014 named after the stadium in Qatar.<\/p>\n
Utilizing his imposing height and distracting tricks, he made diving saves to Virgil van Dijk\u2019s first penalty and then to Steven Berghuis\u2019 attempt. He celebrated with a dance that would later be imitated by Argentine children.<\/p>\n
In the unforgettable final against France \u2014 Argentina led three times, and Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 scored a hat trick to force a penalty shootout \u2014 he stood like a wall, deflecting Kingsley Coman\u2019s shot. When it was Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni\u2019s turn, Mart\u00ednez tossed the ball away to delay the penalty kick. The current Real Madrid player lost the mental battle and shot wide.<\/p>\n
His saves that night were noteworthy, as was his controversial gesture with the trophy for the tournament\u2019s best goalkeeper.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t plan to come back sad (from the World Cup), that was my only goal,\u201d he said in a 2023 interview with Argentina\u2019s public television channel. \u201cIn my mind, I wouldn\u2019t have accepted playing football if I had lost the final. I wouldn\u2019t have been able to because of the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Code of conduct<\/h3>\n
In the wake of the World Cup, FIFA implemented a code of conduct for goalkeepers. It prohibits psychological games, using tactics to delay a penalty kick, and speaking or gesturing to distract the kicker.<\/p>\n
In 2024, FIFA suspended Mart\u00ednez for two matches for offensive behavior and violations of fair play principles during the matches against Chile and Colombia in the South American World Cup qualifiers.<\/p>\n
Mission to win back-to-back World Cups<\/h3>\n
Despite the controversies, coach Scaloni has confirmed his goalkeeper for the upcoming World Cup, which he enters more firmly established as Aston Villa\u2019s goalkeeper and fresh off winning the Europa League.<\/p>\n
Mart\u00ednez fractured the ring finger of his right hand in the final against Freiburg, but he will be available for the World Cup opener on June 16 against Algeria in Group J, which also includes Austria and Jordan.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything else is part of his personality, and that\u2019s that. We focus on the purely sporting aspect,\u201d said the Argentine coach.<\/p>\n
On the eve of the World Cup, Mart\u00ednez\u2019s No. 23 jersey is one of the most sought-after, along with Messi\u2019s No. 10 10, proof of the following he has among Argentine fans.<\/p>\n
The goalkeeper ignores his detractors and focuses on his legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing we take away from this is that Argentina will have many goalkeepers in the future,\u201d Mart\u00ednez said. \u201cThe love for goalkeeping has returned.\u201d<\/p>\n
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AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n