Emiliano Martinez was of course labelled one of the heroes in Aston Villa’s win over Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend, when his mind games helped Bruno Fernandes send his penalty into orbit.
But that isn’t something new for the Argentine press, since the goalkeeper was also responsible for taking the national team to the Copa America final this year, having saved three penalties in the semifinal against Colombia.
So as Albiceleste manager Lionel Scaloni was interviewed by TyC Sports, the coach talked a little about Martínez’s abilities, claiming they didn’t know how he’d deal with such a situation at first.
“It’s evident that we didn’t know everything that he was going to generate in penalties, it was something new for us, but beyond what he did, the important thing is that he saved penalties,” Scaloni told TyC Sports.
“Everything else is part of his personality and that’s it. We look at purely the sporty aspect. Everything you see of him is like that, and that’s why he is so loved in the group, but we focus only on the sporting aspect.
Following Aston Villa’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur next weekend, Emiliano Martinez is now set to be part of Argentina’s squad to play the upcoming fixtures of the World Cup Qualifiers. They’re facing Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru during the international break.
Despite the goalkeeper’s success, Scaloni makes it clear he must continue to prove himself to hold that number one spot at the national team.
“Today he’s at a great level, but if he doesn’t continue like this, his teammates are behind who are competing for the position and are contributing, as Juan Musso did against Bolivia.”
