Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez needs to be wary as ‘bad things’ are on the way for him in the near future.
That’s according to Argentine legend Hugo Gatti, who believes the Aston Villa star’s run of success will hit a brick wall at some point soon.
Gatti has been talking to La Nacion, where he sung the praises of Martinez, who he believes was solely responsible for the club’s success in the 2022 World Cup.
It’s been four years of almost non-stop success for the Aston Villa goalkeeper since making his debut for his country in June 2021.
In the 49 games since then he’s won two Copa America trophies, a World Cup, the CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions and won the Yashin Trophy Twice as well as being named the Best FIFA Men’s goalkeeper in 2022 and 2024.
Martinez has played a key role in all of Argentina’s success in that time, first shining in the COPA America before forcing the final to a penalty shootout, in which he saved a Kingsley Coman penalty to help his side to a 4-2 win.
He’s now an undisputed world star, loved by his country and Aston Villa alike, but Gatti warns there will be struggles ahead, something he appears to be looking forward to despite being a big fan of the goalkeeper.
“All the Argentine players have to suck up to ‘Dibu’. It’s true. It’s true. He won, he won everything,” he said.
“Everything. Everything. The tall, big guy, he’s flexible, he’s agile. He has the movements of a 20-year-old, ‘Dibu’. I don’t know if he’s any good, let me clarify, eh? Because he’s already had his glory. Now the bad times are coming for him and that’s when I want to see it.
“Since I’ve been watching the World Cup, from ’66 until today, at the Argentine level, the best goalkeeper I’ve seen and the one who performed the best was ‘Dibu’. With that I don’t mean that he was better than Fillol. But what ‘Dibu’ did is number one.”
