Tottenham defender Cristian Romero admits he finds Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez “unbearable” to face but that’s what makes him the best goalkeeper in the world.
Martinez helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup by saving two penalties against the Netherlands in the quarter-final shootout. A week earlier, he was in action at Lusail Stadium, making a crucial save to deny Australia a late equaliser.
It seemed like destiny that Martinez would once again win for his country in the biggest match of all time, and his crucial save to deny Kolo Muani took the game to penalties, but his magic sealed his country’s third world title.
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Martinez’s penalty kick performance also contributed greatly to Argentina’s Copa America victory in 2021, the first senior international title that Lionel Messi has won in his career. Argentina will be looking to defend their Copa America title this summer, and as the team’s number one, Martinez will be someone his teammates can rely on.
Argentina will prepare for the tournament by playing Ecuador on Sunday, June 9, and Guatemala on Friday, June 14. The 2024 Copa America will begin on June 21, with the final scheduled for July 15.
“Dib is a madman, I can’t stand him as a rival,” Romero told Ole about his international team-mate Martinez. “He’s in great form at the moment and as an Argentine he’s enjoying it.”
“He’s come from underneath and is now the best goalkeeper in the world. It’s great to see him up there. He’s also a great person.”
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