Damián Emiliano Martinez (born 2 September 1992), is an Argentine professional football goalkeeper who competes for both the Argentina national team and Premier League side Aston Villa.
Martinez has competed for Argentina as a young international, competing at the under-17 and under-20 levels. In addition to helping his country win the 2021 Copa América and receiving the Golden Glove for the latter after maintaining a clean sheet in the championship game, he received his first cap for the senior national team in 2021.
Club Career and Rise to Prominence
Emi Martinez began his professional career in 2008 at Independiente, although he immediately moved to the Premier League after being signed by Arsenal in 2010.
Martinez, a sideline player for the London club, spent his time there bouncing between lower-level clubs on loan. In May 2012, he made his Premier League debut for Oxford United against Port Vale in the team’s season-ending match.
He has since been loaned to a number of English teams, including Reading, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rotherham United, and Sheffield Wednesday. He also practised his craft in Spain at Getafe.
His breakout campaign occurred in 2019–20. Bernd Leno of Arsenal suffered an injury in a game against Brighton & Hove Albion in June 2020. When he came off the bench, Martinez made his first Premier League appearance since the 2016–17 campaign
He remained Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper for the remaining campaign and was recognized for his reliable play and authoritative presence in the penalty area. When he assisted Arsenal in defeating Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley that year, he experienced victory.
Aston Villa made a bid for him the next season as a result of his prowess in front of goal, and he ultimately agreed to a four-year contract worth GBP 20 million.
He beat Brad Friedel’s record for the most clean sheets in a season with 15, and he also won the Aston Villa Supporters’ Player of the Season award. He established club records in just his first season.
International Career
Martinez was asked to replace Oscar Ustari in the 2011 match against Nigeria, which was his first senior call-up. Martinez received his first senior call-up back in 2011 when he took Oscar Ustari’s place in a game against Nigeria, despite excelling in goal for his country at the current Copa America.
He did not have the opportunity to play for his country’s squad until ten years later. In a June 2021 FIFA 2022 qualification game against Chile, he wore his country’s jersey for the first time. The Copa America 2021 will mark Martinez’s debut major competition as Argentina’s top player.
Interesting Things About Emiliano Martínez-
- His moniker “Dibu” (short for “Dibujo,” Spanish for “drawing”) was inspired by an animated character from an Argentine television series. When the TV series was popular, he was a young player with Club Atlético Independiente.
- His football prodigy career was already taking off when he was 16 years old. In fact, he had already started playing for Argentina’s Under 17s when an Arsenal scout first noticed him.
- Martinez would have been a “scientist” instead of a football player because, prior to signing with Arsenal, he had been accepted to the Institute of Innovation and Technology in Buenos Aires.
- He hails from a family of athletes. His uncle won a silver medal at the 1980 Olympics in the pole vault, his brother Martin plays striker for Recreativo Huelva in Spain’s second level, and his father won the Argentine Street Luge championship for six straight years between 1986 and 1991.
- Emiliano Martinez’s three shootout saves in Argentina’s Copa America semifinal triumph over Colombia earned him the moniker “phenomenon” from colleague and fellow Argentine Lionel Messi.
In front of Argentina’s supporters, Emiliano Martinez lifted his shorts and danced. At the World Cup, Argentina’s goalkeeper was his nation’s penalty-shootout hero after making crucial stops that helped Argentina advance to a semifinal match against Croatia.
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Fahima Akter
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE