Spanish press reports revealed that Argentine Emiliano Martinez, goalkeeper of the "Tango" team and Aston Villa, has become persona non grata in the English club.
Because of the actions that took place during the celebration of the 2022 World Cup, which was held in Qatar.
Martinez sparked controversy during and after his coronation with his country in the World Cup, and he was criticized by the French press and many former players for deliberately insulting his rival, Kylian Mbappe, while celebrating the coronation.
Martinez played a prominent role in Argentina winning the World Cup for the third time in the country's history thanks to his decisive interventions, specifically in the final against France. He also saved three penalties during the quarter-final and final matches against the Netherlands and the "Roosters", respectively.
Martinez sale
Despite this, Spanish Villans coach Unai Emery would like to get rid of Martinez during the January 2023 winter transfer market, according to the Spanish "Estadio Deportivo" website.
This sudden decision comes from the Spanish coach;
Because of Martinez's "abusive" behavior during his World Cup celebrations with his colleagues, according to the Spanish website.
🚨 Unai Emery is 'desperate' to sell Argentina World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez pic.twitter.com/dq1rm7fLP8
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) December 24, 2022
He stressed that Emery and the club - also - feel dissatisfied with Martinez's actions, especially against French players Kylian Mbappe and Orolin Tshawamini, to the point that the Argentine goalkeeper became a target for criticism from the European press.
Martinez mocked Mbappe more than once, the most prominent of which was his carrying a doll with the face of the Paris Saint-Germain player during the coronation celebrations, and he also admitted that he manipulated the nerves of Real Madrid player “The Boy” Tshawamine, before hitting the penalty shootout.
Emery wants Martinez to leave Aston Villa in the "winter Mercato", knowing that the relationship between the two was very tense during their work together at Arsenal.
Therefore, all indications suggest Emiliano Martinez's position in the market, and clubs will certainly race to sign him, given what he presented during the Qatar World Cup.
Martinez - (30 years old) - played the seven matches for Argentina in the World Cup in Qatar, during which his net was conceded 8 times: 3 of them in the final signed by Mbappe, while he came out with a clean sheet in 3 matches.
As a result, Martinez, nicknamed "Depo", was awarded the Golden Glove, becoming the best goalkeeper in the twenty-second edition of the World Cup.
Yassine Bounou, the alternative
In the same context, Emery plans to replace Martinez by contracting with Seville goalkeeper (former Emery team) Moroccan Yassin Bono, who also shone in the last World Cup.
Bono led the Moroccan national team to finish its sixth participation in the World Cup in fourth place, an unprecedented achievement in the history of Arab and African football.
Yassine Bounou starred in the World Cup in Qatar (French)
Bono participated in 6 matches in the World Cup in Qatar, and missed one match, which was against Belgium in the second round of the group stage, due to his injury, moments before the start of that match.
During these six matches, Bono conceded only 5 times, while he saved two penalty kicks against Spain in the final price round, and came out with a clean sheet in 3 matches as well.