emiliano martinez arsenal
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez has opened up about how Lionel Messi inspired him to Copa America glory this summer. Martinez and Barcelona superstar Messi were part of the Argentina side that lifted the trophy earlier this month. The Villa stopper played a key role, keeping four clean sheets and conceding only three goals in the whole tournament, earning him the Golden Glove award. He saved three penalties in a semi-final shoot-out victory over Colombia and then shut out Brazil in the final as Argentina triumphed 1-0. Messi, who has won the Ballon D’Or a record six times, praised Martinez’s contribution on social media during and after the tournament.
In an interview,
Emi Martinez said: “That he posts a photo with the caption ‘he’s a phenomenon’, how can I not perform in a final? I want to give him life, I want to die for him.”
Martinez recognised that his move from Arsenal to Villa last summer had improved him as a player – and believes playing alongside Messi has a similar effect on him.
Emi Martinez said: “You want to play with the best player in the world and watching him play made me secure and made me better. You say ‘he made the players excited’ – me too, and I’m a goalkeeper. I wish I had played every match in a league with him. I would be a much better goalkeeper. I was with the national team for 45 days having come off a great season with Aston Villa where I got much better but with the national team, I got better by 10% or 15%.”
Asked if anything else Messi said to him had made an impact,
Emi Martinez explained: “In a match against Uruguay he told me: ‘help us in the crosses because they’re brave’. In general, he says more things as a captain, he helps us all. When he scored his penalty (in the semi-final), he could have gone straight to the centre but he came and told me: “You’ll save one” – and I saved the next one. That’s what he generates. It’s difficult to explain but he’s a captain and the entire world wants to have him.”
