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James Rushton
Dec 18, 2022
'Tough to be better than Leo in Copa America, but he has …
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Aston Villa goalkeeper and newly-minted World Cup winner Emi Martinez managed to steal the show on the grandest stage of them all in Doha - finishing his golden hour with an x-rated display after helping Argentina beat France on penalties in the World Cup final.
Not known for holding back, the Argentine goalie very much made the final his own game.
Firstly, after having not much to do for the first-half against France, Martinez showed his skills with a fantastic save in the dying minutes of the game to ensure his side stayed in touch with Les Bleus.
Then, during a penalty shoot-out, Martinez's mind games thrust his nation to victory.
After some antics involving throwing the ball away from a nervy Aurelien Tchouameni - causing him to miss a critical penalty, and a stunning save from Kingsley Coman, Martinez was critical in Argentina's battle for the World Cup trophy.
However, it's not exactly his goalkeeping efforts that have taken the headlines.
After being rightly awarded the Adidas Golden Glove for the 2022 World Cup, Martinez walked off and immediately slapped the honor towards his crotch, thrusting as he did so.
Many saw the funny side of the goalkeeper's act:
\u201c@TrollFootball That look from the uefa president man is going to be fined \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Troll Football (@Troll Football) 1671388765
\u201c@GillibrandPeter Lol. \n\nThat's personality.\u201d— Peter Gillibrand (@Peter Gillibrand) 1671388856
\u201c@FootballRamble Hang it in the Louvre\u201d— Football Ramble (@Football Ramble) 1671390317
\u201c@BarcaUniversal He won\u2019t make it out of Qatar alive \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Bar\u00e7a Universal (@Bar\u00e7a Universal) 1671388276
However, others were pretty disgusted:
\u201c@FootballRamble So happy for Argentina\u2014Messi is class\u2026this guy not so much. Truly disgusting.\u201d— Football Ramble (@Football Ramble) 1671390317
\u201cWhat better way to be reminded men are disgusting than Martinez putting his trophy near his crotch on one of the best days of his career \ud83e\udd74\u201d— \u0645\u0627\u0631\u064a\u0629 | M (@\u0645\u0627\u0631\u064a\u0629 | M) 1671388192
\u201cEmiliano Martinez wtf was that move with your trophy???? Ah ok, you\u2019re going to regret that mate. Stupid!\u201d— Rennae Stubbs OLY (@Rennae Stubbs OLY) 1671388155
It's not all lewd tomfoolery though. Martinez showed his class by dedicating the win to his family, and spending a while consoling French superstar Kylian Mbappe instead of celebrating with the rest of his team.
Martinez will go down as a footballing legend - and a legend in general.