Emiliano Martinez has gone from strength to strength since leaving Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, and former Tottenham Hotspur winger Erik Lamela is pleased to see the Aston Villa goalkeeper reach the quarter-finals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup with Argentina on Saturday evening.
Martinez, who was on the books of Arsenal from 2010 until 2020 before moving to Aston Villa due to lack of regular time under manager Mikel Arteta at the Emirates Stadium, is the number one goalkeeper for Argentina.
The 30-year-old won the Copa America with Argentina in the summer of 2021, just a year after leaving Arsenal for Villa for £20 million (The Guardian).
And he could now go on to win the World Cup with his national team.
Martinez did not have much to do against Australia for most of the match, but he had to make a really stunning save in the 97th minute to deny Garang Kuol and make sure that Argentina win the Round of 16 tie.
The 30-year-old showed remarkable alertness in the dying minutes of the game and demonstrated just why he is rated so highly.
Lamela, who left Arsenal’s bitter North London rivals Tottenham for Sevilla in 2021, was impressed by his Argentina international teammate and has described him as a “machine” on Instagram, as you can see below.
Praise for former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez
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