How Emi Martinez can become all-time Aston Villa record holder in 2026-27 Premier League season
Emi Martinez is on track to break Aston Villa's all-time clean sheet record in the Premier League.
The Argentine has played 256 times for the Villans in all competitions, including 213 matches in the Premier League.
He has transformed his reputation while at Villa Park, emerging as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
He has won two Yashin Trophies, two Copa America titles and the World Cup with Argentina, and the Europa League with Unai Emery's side last season.
Aston Villa News covered how the Argentine media treated him after the World Cup final, but now his focus has to shift back to the domestic game.
If he comes back in the same kind of form, it will be a matter of time before he puts himself in the history books in the 2026-27 season.
How many clean sheets does Emi Martinez need?
Mark Bosnich is the Villans' leader for the metric in the Premier League era, with 64.
Aston Villa Statto revealed on X on Saturday that the 33-year-old needs just five clean sheets to overtake the Australian and sit atop of the rankings.
He is currently on a total of 60, which means that he has 38 games to make himself the best goalkeeper in top-flight history for the B6 outfit.
Former Villan Lee Hendrie probably backs him to do it, as he raved about Martinez after the penalty shoot-out win against Lille in 2024.
The Sky Sports pundit said: "Martinez is the main man. It's unbelievable. He's the best goalkeeper in the world."
How quickly could Aston Villa star do it?
Villa's first five games are relatively easy, minus the second clash of the campaign against champions and Martinez's former side Arsenal.
They open with a trip to Brighton, and after the Gunners contest, they face newly-promoted Hull City, and relegation threatened teams from last season, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
Therefore, he could equal the record quite quickly, before going on to break it later in the campaign.
The 67-cap international kept eight clean sheets last season, so he will surely break the record, if he stays put, which is looking increasingly likely.
Only injury or an exit could stop him from achieving the feat, and he is very rarely on the sidelines, missing just nine games in his time with the Villans so far.