Aston Villa glovesman Emiliano Martinez has come under fire from his fellow countryman Carlos Roa, following an incident between him and Everton star Yerry Mina.
Emiliano Martinez advised to calm down at Aston Villa
It goes without saying that the Argentina international is a character in between the sticks – especially when it comes to facing penalties.
Martinez – who was signed in a £17m deal from Arsenal in 2020 – memorably interfered in the selection process between Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford last season, which caused the latter to sky his effort in a 1-0 loss to the Villans.
The South American shot-stopper could then be seen dancing in front of Manchester United supporters to celebrate immediately after the miss.
However, the incident put under the spotlight from Roa was from July 2021, when Martinez trash talked Mina into missing a vital penalty for Colombia in the semi-final of the Copa America, which Argentina went on to win.
The Aston Villa No.1 could be heard shouting: “You’re nervous, huh? I can tell you’re nervous. I know where you’re going to shoot. Watch and see how I’m going to eat you up. Remember I’m going to eat you up.”
It was one of three saves made by Martinez during the shootout.
When discussing that trash talking and the 30-year-old’s personality in general, Roa told Bolavip: “If you ask me, I don’t think it’s necessary. If you ask me: Do you like it? No, I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s necessary to show that kind of attitude to be a star, successful and the number one in the world.”
Aston Villa should encourage Emiliano Martinez
In our view, Aston Villa should actually encourage this type of behaviour from Martinez – to an extent.
As long as he doesn’t overstep the line, there is nothing wrong with a few comments to get inside an opponent’s head and put them off.
Of course, some may argue that it is unsporting, although the likes of Jamie Vardy, Luis Suarez and Diego Costa have won silverware with a similar approach, in which they do whatever it takes to win.
In this particular instance, Martinez ended up winning the Copa America after psyching out the Colombian penalty takers, so we see no reason why that needs to stop – as long as he doesn’t overdo it.
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