View: History awaits Emiliano Martinez with Aston Villa No 1 set for World Cup final showdown
By Ivan Prothero
Emiliano Martinez has already made history for Aston Villa as he will become the first Villa player to reach and participate in a World Cup final today with Argentina set to face France in Qatar.
It has become a good omen for Argentina to allow Martinez to face the press conference before a final, just as he did when they won the 2021 Copa America against Brazil.
However, instead of typically playing down the occasion, Martinez poured fuel to the flames when he called out France and PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe on the eve of the final.
Mbappe said in May that he believes that countries from Europe are better prepared for the World Cup stage because they play “High-level matches all the time”, insinuating that the same cannot be said for South American players.
Martinez was reminded by a reporter of these comments during yesterday’s pre-match press conference, the Villa goalkeeper said: “He doesn’t know enough about football. He never played in South America.” said Martinez via Goal (17 December, 21:34).
“When you don’t have this experience, it may be better not to talk about it. But it doesn’t matter. We are a great team, recognised as such.”
Despite Mbappe’s comments, Argentina drew six of their Qatar World Cup qualification matches finishing second in the table to Brazil in first place.
France on the other hand topped their qualification group and drew three times, both sides managed to remain undefeated, but Argentina arguably encountered more difficulties.
In Argentina’s World Cup finalist-making squad, remarkably only one player plays his club football in South America, 36-year-old, third-choice goalkeeper Franco Armani of River Plate.
However, Martinez also might not have the best understanding of what South American footballers experience when compared to Europeans as he has played all of his professional career in Europe, like Mbappe’s teammate Lionel Messi, neither of them has played for a domestic side at any point of their professional careers.
The Villa goalkeeper began his career in England as he signed for Arsenal as a 17-year-old, the now Argentina number one then went on loan spells at Oxford United, Sheffield United, Rotherham United, Wolves, Getafe and Reading until he eventually signed with Villa in 2020 for £20 million.
Messi himself described the Argentine goalkeeper as a “phenomenon” after he saved four penalties during their winning run in the 2021 Copa America, including keeping a clean sheet against Brazil in the final.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper will be hoping to repeat his form shown in the last final and finally give Messi the World Cup medal that he so desperately craves, and in turn will make Martinez the first-ever Villa player to win a World Cup.
In other Aston Villa news, three on-loan youngsters have shone away from Villa Park this season.