Emi closes in on twin club goals after global wins
AFTER playing an instrumental role to help win the World Cup for arguably the greatest player to grace the game and being crowned the best goalkeeper on the planet, Emi Martinez is now two months away from achieving a couple of major goals at club level with Aston Villa.
“We want to give them a trophy, we want to give them Champions League [football],” Martinez said earlier this season. “We had the best year in Villa history in terms of points last year. We want to give them something at the end of this season too. That’s why they come in numbers, they feel connected with the team. I feel the same way with the national team, with Argentina. We felt the same way with our fans and we repaid them with titles. I feel something similar here.”
Villa still have plenty of work to do to realise their ambitions this season, with nine games remaining of the Premier League campaign and four matches before they can even think of a trip to Athens in May for the Europa Conference League final. But Martinez’s determination and experience of winning titles will be crucial in the two months of the season.
“When I knew him at Arsenal he was telling me in that moment I want to be the first goalkeeper of Argentina – he achieved it,” Emery said of his number one. “I was talking about his ambition with him and he told me he wanted to be the best goalkeeper in the world. I want players like that.
“Here we don’t have a lot of players with experiences winning a lot of trophies and titles. I think Emiliano can – and must – use these experiences to help us here and be positive.
“Hopefully we will eventually win some trophies here and get closer to our target to be in Europe. When you have players with those experiences winning a lot they can help you better on the pitch and in the dressing room.”
Every top team needs a goalkeeper who is capable of winning points across the course of the campaign. After sensational play from Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Douglas Luiz, Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa, it’s unlikely Martinez will be considered as the club’s player of the season, but he has to be.
It’s because we expect Martinez to bail his teammates out, to claim every cross and to sweep as if it is second nature, that his contributions may be overlooked.
His remarkable rise since joining Villa has enabled him to not only become a world champion with Argentina, but possibly the best keeper for his nation in history. He has kept 27 clean sheets in 37 appearances for La Albiceleste.
Now he has worked his magic to win his nation their third world title, Martinez wants to repay the faith Villa put in him back in 2020 by winning a trophy and restoring the club’s place back in the European elite after giving him the opportunity to become a number one in the Premier League.