View: Aston Villa star Emi Martinez made greatest save in World Cup history
Emiliano Martinez is certainly enjoying himself at the moment with the Aston Villa goalkeeper currently in Buenos Aires celebrating Argentina’s memorable World Cup win.
Some of his antics of the past month have been extremely questionable, with the 30-year-old taking a particular dislike to France superstar Kylian Mbappe. Martinez has been filmed mocking the PSG attacker both straight after the World Cup and on Argentina’s homecoming. His actions will certainly split opinion, but another debate has begun to rise to surround the goalkeeper.
As Randal Kolo Muani ran through on goal in the 122nd minute of the World Cup final, the planet held its breath. With the Villa goalkeeper holding Argentina and Lionel Messi’s hopes in his hands.
The huge left leg from Martinez was enough to deny France a certain winner and allow the platform for Argentina to go on and lift the trophy for the third time (video below, Roy Nemer, personal Twitter, 20 December).
Considering the context and the minute the game was in, this has to go down as one of, if not the greatest save in World Cup history. But what exactly are the other contenders? Because there’s a large debate to be had over whether this is the greatest or most important stop.
To deliver in the most decisive moment, as Martinez did, puts forward a strong argument to suggest it is the greatest World Cup save of all time, there was simply no coming back if France had scored then.
Gianluigi Buffon will suggest that his save in the 2006 final from Zinedine Zidane has the potential to compete with Martinez’s stop.
The legendary Italian keeper manages to react instantly to the Frenchman’s header to prevent his side from falling behind in extra time. Was this better than the Aston Villa keeper’s 2022 stop? It’s an impressive save, there’s no denying that, particularly in the context of the match, however, there’s still time for either side to get back into the game.
The header comes at the end of the first half of extra time which leaves the opposition with the chance to react. Despite it being a good save, Martinez’s stop is far more impressive given the circumstances.
Another save which is extremely similar to Martinez’s is Iker Casillas’ stop from Arjen Robben in the 2010 World Cup final.
The Spanish keeper dives the wrong way but manages to stick a leg out to get a deflection on the ball and deny the Dutch the opening goal. It’s a crucial moment in the game but there are a couple of things to consider when comparing it to the Aston Villa keeper’s save. Firstly Casillas does dive the wrong way and is perhaps lucky the ball hit his leg. Martinez makes his body big and looks to prevent as many possible finishes as he can. The ball hitting his leg was no fluke.
Furthermore, the game still had 30 minutes on the clock, and there was still a chance Spain would’ve equalised had Robben hit the back of the net. It was an important save, but certainly not a decisive one.
The top challenger to Martinez’s stop is arguably the greatest save of all time, but whether it tops the significance of the Argentine’s is up for debate.
Of course, it’s Gordon Banks’ stop from Pele in England’s group stage clash with Brazil in 1970. Firstly, as a save, there’s no doubt that it is better than Martinez’s recent effort.
The England keeper pretty much defies gravity to get down and stop the ball from nestling into the bottom corner. However, context could potentially be considered when determining just how “great” a save is. There was undoubtedly pressure on Banks, but ultimately this was a group-stage fixture. There were second chances for England and Banks.
Martinez had no second opportunity, he knew he had to deliver at that moment and he did. It was a remarkable save, and the context and significance of it mean there’s a strong argument to suggest it’s the greatest save in World Cup history.
In other Aston Villa news, a new passing stat shows Unai Emery must keep Jacob Ramsey in an advanced position