Aston Villa star Emi Martinez was taken off for Argentina on 76 minutes vs Puerto Rico – Here’s why
Emi Martinez has always shown his best form away from Aston Villa with Argentina.
The keeper still has a mixed reputation at Villa Park after Martinez tried to force a move to Manchester United in the summer.
Martinez starred for Villa against Everton in particular, keeping his only clean sheet of the Premier League season on Merseyside.
John McGinn snubbed Martinez against Fulham, potentially representing his fall down the leadership pecking order under Unai Emery.
It appears that his international standing has also been impacted, as Martinez was substituted early by Lionel Scaloni during the match against Puerto Rico overnight.
Why was Emi Martinez taken off for Argentina vs Puerto Rico?
Martinez was nominated for the Yashin Trophy earlier in the year as he continues to be recognised as one of the best keepers in the world.
This recognition is primarily due to his success with his country, which led to him becoming a household name across the globe for his World Cup performances in 2022.
Villa have benefited from this, having taken a risk on the Arsenal keeper after they avoided relegation back in 2020.
The 33-year-old has gone on to be an ever-present for Argentina, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him start against Puerto Rico on Tuesday night in Miami.
It was a shock, however, to see Martinez hooked on 76 minutes despite La Albiceleste being 4-0 up at the time.
Many Villa fans feared that the keeper could be injured after missing out on the Feyenoord clash recently, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Instead, it looks as if Scaloni wanted to hand second-choice keeper Facundo Cambeses a first-ever cap for Argentina, at the expense of Martinez.
Martinez fulfilling ‘dream’ away from Aston Villa
Back in 2020, the Villa man was called up to the national side for the first time after a positive spell with the Villans.
Martinez spoke out to say, “It’s my first call-up to the Argentina national team for a World Cup qualifier. For that, to be here, it’s a dream. Being here, I am happy.“
It is clear that Dibu has lived that dream and has achieved more than he could have ever imagined on the international stage.
He won’t want this fantasy to come to an end any time soon, although the introduction of Cambeses may represent a concern.
It will be interesting to see how this will impact his Argentina career or whether Scaloni made this change as a goodwill measure.
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