Aston Villa fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was announced that Emiliano Martinez had been nominated for the Yacine Trophy.
What’s the story?
Well, the £17m man has been shortlisted for what is effectively a Ballon d’Or, but exclusively for goalkeepers.
Martinez finds himself on the list alongside Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, Atlético Madrid’s Jan Oblak, Paris Saint-Germain’s Keylor Navas and Inter Milan glovesman Samir Handanović.
Clearly, this award is quite a big deal – just look at the calibre of goalkeeper Martinez finds himself rubbing shoulders with.
The Villans have certainly come a long way from having the likes of Brad Guzan standing in between the sticks.
In truth, Martinez himself has come a long way in a very short space of time.
It wasn’t long ago that the South American was warming the bench at Arsenal, twiddling his thumbs as Bernd Leno held the No.1 shirt.
Does Emiliano Martinez deserve his nomination?
Nobody can argue about the Argentina international’s inclusion on the shortlist.
Martinez was the third-best goalkeeper in the Premier League last season, keeping 15 clean sheets. Only Ederson and Edouard Mendy kept more.
On the international scene, the 29-year-old was just as impressive.
Martinez helped Lionel Messi lift his first ever international trophy by starring in the Copa America.
The highlight of the £47,000-a-week man’s tournament came in the semi-final win over Chile, as Martinez saved three penalties.
For now, let’s see what the Aston Villa fans on Twitter have been saying about this award, which is quite a big deal for Martinez and the Villans…
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