‘Annoys me’ – What Samir Nasri once said about Aston Villa star still rings true
Unai Emery has assembled a fine team during his time as Aston Villa manager.
When he took over at Villa Park in 2022, Villa were loitering above the relegation zone until Emery came in and completely transformed the club’s fortunes.
The Spanish manager has led the club into the Champions League during his time in charge, and now Villa are also the favourites to lift the Europa League this season.
Big players like John McGinn and Ollie Watkins have been pivotal in this success over recent years, but one star in particular has faced more criticism than any other Villa player.
Samir Nasri critical of former teammate Emi Martinez’s antics
Martinez joined Villa in 2020 after being unable to establish himself in the first team at Arsenal.
Since then, and under Emery’s management, he blossomed into one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but the Argentinian has carried a reputation for some of his on-field antics in recent years.
Nasri was teammates with Martinez whilst the pair were at Arsenal, but the Frenchman was critical of the goalkeeper’s antics during Villa’s penalty shoot-out win against Lille in the Europa Conference League in 2024.
Martinez saved two penalties in this shoot-out and proceeded to ‘shush’ the Lille supporters, with his conduct not impressing Nasri.
Speaking to Canal Plus with his quotes later reported in The Sun, Nasri said: “Martinez’s behaviour annoys me, all the more because he didn’t used to be like that before.
“I knew him at Arsenal, when he was very young, and then he used to be very low-key.
“But now that kind of behaviour has become his stock in trade,” the former Arsenal player said.
Martinez’s reputation for being a troublemaker was at an all-time high during the World Cup in Qatar, with Patrick Vieira calling Martinez’s celebrations after Argentina beat France in the final “stupid”.
The former Crystal Palace manager also had this to say at a press conference in 2022 regarding Martinez.
“Some of the pictures I saw from the Argentinian goalkeeper, I think, take away a little bit of what Argentina achieved at the World Cup,
“I don’t think they really needed that. You can’t control sometimes people’s emotional decisions. But that was a stupid decision, I think, from Martinez to do that,” Vieira said after Martinez was famously pictured making a vulgar gesture with the Golden Glove award he received after the final.
Aston Villa now suffering from Emi Martinez’s personality
Whilst the Villa Park faithful will adore Martinez and his petulant behaviour at times when he plays for them, it ultimately came back to bite them this summer.
Martinez attempted to push through a move to Manchester United, and even the supporters who once cheered him are now beginning to grow tired of his attitude, as Nasri’s comments regarding the goalkeeper still ring true today.
Ultimately, this summer proved that Martinez’s ego could not even be put aside for the club that offered him the platform to develop into what he is today, as the shot stopper must attempt to rebuild the bridges he burned with the fanbase.
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