The Argentine had just enjoyed his best and most productive season at the Emirates, playing 23 times after regular No 1 Bernd Leno was badly injured at Brighton in June 2020 and starring as Mikel Arteta ‘s side upset Chelsea to win the FA Cup survive August and therefore qualify for the Europa League.
Martinez was besides in goal as Arsenal lifted the Community Shield by and by that calendar month, only to then abruptly leave the club at the begin of stopping point season after not being given the correct assurances over future playing time in union London while negotiating a new contract.
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“ I love everything about Arsenal. I distillery love them and I ‘m placid watching the games, but I just felt like they did n’t trust me like they should have, ” Martinez told Sky Sports when reflecting on that eyebrow-raising career exchange spinal column in March. And you can see why he felt that misgiving .
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Emi Martinez has proved himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League – take a attend at some of his best saves .
Arsenal scouts foremost came across the Mar del Plata-born ‘keeper while playing for Argentina U17s, leading to a £1.1 million move from Independiente in 2010. A decade on, though, and Martinez had made equitable 15 league appearances for the baseball club – nine of which came only after Leno was sidelined last year – while besides being shipped out on lend to the likes of Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Getafe and Reading .
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Martinez spent the second base half of the 2018-19 temper on loan at Reading
And all the while, Arsenal kept on signing players in his placement, with the writing very much on the rampart american samoa far as Martinez was concerned. “ When I was on a senior high school, I still felt like they did n’t deserve me because of the means they were treating me, ” he said. “ They could n’t guarantee me the games I needed so I thought that if they could n’t guarantee me the games I needed, then I ‘m moving on. “ They did n’t say to me that I was n’t going to play, they good did n’t guarantee me the games that I wanted to play .
“It was a gamble, but I always believe that if you stay in the comfort zone, you will never reach anything in life. I decided to take the step up.”
“ so, after 10 years, I decided to leave, and it was identical difficult. My syndicate did n’t understand why I was leaving when I was at such a good level at Arsenal, but it was my decision to leave and I ‘m truly proud I did it. “ It was a gamble, but I always believe that if you stay in the consolation zone, you will never reach anything in life. I decided to take the step up. ” Arsenal ‘s loss, though, has very much been Villa ‘s gain, while for the single-minded Martinez, the gamble has besides paid off handsomely with a long-awaited Argentina debut in June. In fact, things began brilliantly for the player following his £17m move to Villa Park, with Martinez making a all-important penalty save on his debut to help Villa beat Sheffield United 1-0 at home final September .
just getting the nod to start that plot from Villa director Dean Smith was all Martinez needed to realise he had made the right decision to end his career at Arsenal. “ The manner they welcomed me, the old-timer trusted me from the very beginning day playing me against Sheffield United, ” he said.
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“ He could have said you need time to settle and then play late on in the season. But he played me in the first game of the season, and he trusted me. And when person trusts me that much, I have to repay them with dear performances. “ That ‘s what this club deserves. The best of Emi Martinez. ”
And that is precisely what Villa have got, with Martinez recording 15 clean sheets in his debut campaign in the Midlands, equalling Brad Friedel ‘s cabaret commemorate for Premier League shutouts in the process. interim, only Man City ‘s Ederson and Chelsea ‘s Edouard Mendy have kept more uninfected sheets since the latter ‘s top-flight debut at the begin of last October, attention-getting form that at one stage stopping point season even threatened to propel Villa into Europe. not alone that, but having earned his first gear international call-up aged 18, Argentina besides then recognised Martinez ‘s worth by ultimately handing him his debut in June. This was another decision the ‘keeper went on to justify with a string of brainy displays to help Argentina win a first Copa America title since 1993. Martinez started every game cake one in Brazil final summer, conceding merely twice along the way, while it was his heroics in their shoot-out winnings over Colombia when he saved three spot-kicks that sent his area into the final examination, where they beat their archrivals and hosts 1-0 .
“It was difficult at times. But we have Emi and he’s phenomenal. We knew that he was going to stop them. We trusted him.
And according to Lionel Messi, Martinez played a pivotal function in that exuberate, the Argentina master ‘s first external title with his area. “ It was unmanageable at times, ” said Messi after Argentina ‘s semi-final win over Colombia. “ But we have Emi and he ‘s phenomenal. We knew that he was going to stop them. We trusted him. He deserves it. ”
persona :
Emiliano Martinez saves Yerry Mina ‘s punishment as Argentina beat Colombia last summer
drama with penalties is actually starting to become a regular theme now with Martinez after the guess conversation stopper ‘s recent antics at Old Trafford. On that juncture, he managed to psyche out Bruno Fernandes by gesticulating for Cristiano Ronaldo to rather take a last-minute spot-kick, resulting in the former blasting his campaign over the bar as Villa beat Man Utd 1-0. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
free TO WATCH : Highlights from Aston Villa ‘s winnings against Manchester United in the Premier League .
meanwhile, Martinez was at it again earlier this calendar month when he managed to get inside Yoshimar Yotun ‘s pass, putting the Peru musician off as he besides failed with a punishment in Argentina ‘s 1-0 World Cup qualifying succeed. What Martinez ‘s spot-kick heroics indicate, though, are his military capability of mind and absolute impression in himself, traits that not entirely have characterised his career so far, but are besides critical in the head over heels life of a goalkeeper. just before the kicks were taken last summer, Martinez is reported to have told Colombia ‘s penalty takers : “ You look nervous, you are laughing, but you are skittish, ” before adding : “ I ‘m going to eat you. ”
And when being told by then Arsenal director Arsene Wenger after first arrive in the nation that he needed to speak English in order to communicate with his team-mates, he did so within a class. “ I did not know the linguistic process, ” he told El Pais. “ And Wenger told me that the goalkeeper had to speak in English. When something gets into my head, I do it. In a class I learned to speak English and I even got my driver ‘s license. ”
It is not fair a determination and hard mind that have helped make Martinez one of the top flight ‘s most impressive ‘keepers, but his ball-playing capabilities as well.
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The Argentine is one of the Premier League ‘s more convinced goalkeepers with the ball at his feet, while his distribution is besides excellent, specially his long-range pass to start off counterattacks ( see graphic ).
Martinez vs Ramsdale
| Martinez | PL 2021-22 | Ramsdale |
| 7 | Apps | 5 |
| 630 | Minutes | 450 |
| 9 | Goals conceded | 3 |
| 70 | Mins/per goal conceded | 150 |
| 3 | Clean sheets | 3 |
| 6.75 | xG on Target Conceded | 2.91 |
| 8 | Goals Conceded (ex. Own Goals) | 3 |
| 1.25 | Goal Prevented | 0.09 |
| 18 | Saves | 13 |
| 66.7 | Save Percentage | 81.3 |
| 71.3 | Passing Accuracy | 61 |
| 216 | Passes | 146 |
| 104 | Passes Long | 85 |
| 48 | % Passes Long | 58 |
| 0 | Errors Leading to Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Errors Leading to Shots (inc. Goals) | 0 |
| 3 | Catches | 5 |
| 3 | Catches | 3 |
All of which makes Arsenal ‘s decision not to back Martinez survive year even more perplex, particularly given the way Arteta ‘s teams like to build from the back and the holocene buy of Aaron Ramsdale as the clubhouse ‘s new No 1 in position of Leno. And you can bet Martinez would love nothing better than to make his early employers regret that decision flush more by keeping so far another clean sheet – as he besides did on his inaugural rejoinder to Arsenal as Villa won 3-0 end season – at the Emirates on Friday Night Football.