Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been hailed by Argentinian icon Ubaldo Fillol, who has praised the “leadership” he is showing at the World Cup.
Martinez has been one of the key men for Argentina in their run to the quarterfinals of the tournament in Qatar, where they are set to take on the Netherlands this evening.
He proved to be particularly crucial in the last 16 win over Australia, producing a huge last minute save to deny Garang Kuol an equaliser that would have sent the game to extra time.
It was a big moment for Martinez and Argentina, with the Aston Villa man proving to be crucial to his side’s progress once again.
His superb performance is the latest in a growing list of them for his country, where he has established himself as the undisputed number one and played a key role in their current success.
That has not gone unnoticed in his homeland, where the Aston Villa star is highly regarded, including it seems by Fillol.
For those that don’t know, he was Argentina’s goalkeeper when they won the World Cup in 1978, finishing in the All-Star team that year as well as being inducted into the AFA Team of All Time in 2015.
He therefore knows a good goalkeeper when he sees one and was full of praise for the current Argentina number one when asked about him.
“The level of Emiliano Martinez is very good, with little participation, but he is a goalkeeper with a lot of presence,” he told El Abrazo Del Alma, relayed by El Encasti.
“You can see that he has tremendous leadership within the squad and that is something you get in the football match, in training and in concentration and he has that.
“He is a very respected goalkeeper, not only by us Argentines, but also by the Europeans for his performance in England.
“The save he made against Australia was terrible: he blocked the striker, something I always suggest when I teach. You don’t have to wait for the striker but go out quickly to trap him and he did it brilliantly.
“He saved what would have been Australia’s equaliser and when you draw, you go to extra time and then penalties and you don’t know what can happen. I see him well and I loved that save.”
