When I was a kid, I used to think the best job in the world would be a back-up goalkeeper. Growing up I would watch these keepers sit on the bench week after week hoping to get their chance to play but it would never come. It seemed like the perfect job…
Jokes aside though, this is an incredibly frustrating position to be in. No one wants to be number two, yet many goalkeepers find themselves unable to showcase their talent since there is only one spot on the team in between the sticks. If they have a world class goalkeeper in front of them, the grim reality is that it is highly unlikely they will be given an opportunity.
Or worse, they would finally get their chance due to an injury, suspension or quickfire sale, only for the club to bring in a different goalkeeper and put them as their number one instead. This is currently the fate of dozens of goalies up and down the country. No matter how good or bad their form is, being a regular starter seems to elude them.
Nowadays, everyone is looking for the next wonderkid, so all the top clubs have several names on their books who we’ve never heard of, yet could break through at any moment. Once Joe Hart was given a shot at Manchester City, interest piqued among the average person who else was going to be the next big thing to emerge from a youth academy.
Typically, most wonderkids were outfield players, not goalkeepers. So now we saw it was possible for a young goalkeeper to break through in the Premier League, I for one always found it interesting to see what young gems some of the top clubs were hoarding.
Which brings me to Martínez. He never caught my eye. Judging by the amount of times he went on loan, he struck me as the kind of player who would stay at the club for about eight years, then eventually be released or sold to a random club where his career would inevitably fizzle out.
I was half right…
During his eight years at Arsenal, the Argentinian was loaned out six times:
2011-12: Oxford United – 1 appearance
2013-14: Sheffield Wednesday – 15 appearances
2014-15: Rotherham United – 8 appearances
2015-16: Wolves – 15 appearances
2017-18: Getafe – 7 appearances
2018-19: Reading – 18 appearances
Again, no disrespect to any of these clubs, but there weren’t many casual fans expecting the young Argentine to break into the first team as he wasn’t exactly setting the world alight. Arsenal had also recently spent £22.5 million on Bernd Leno, so my childhood dream job would be where Martínez would stay for the time being.
Until the 20th of June 2020…
Leno had got injured in the first half, which left manager Arteta little choice but to throw on Martínez and hope for the best. Fortunately for him, Emiliano hit the ground running and very much looked at home in the first team, producing a commanding performance week after week. He topped off his fantastic season by helping Arsenal lift the FA Cup.
As a neutral football fan, all I could think was what Arsenal were going to do with this dilemma. Leno was good, and Arsenal had spent a lot of money on him, but Martínez arguably had performed better.
Arsenal made the decision to sell the South American to Aston Villa, to the shock of many fans. Sticking with Leno was a statement of intent, whereas I felt completely disengaged with the deal, feeling that Emiliano had more than proven his worth in the team, and that still wasn’t good enough.
Villa were certainly a team in the ascendancy at the time, but I still felt bad for the guy wondering what more he would have to do to get worldwide recognition. Although there was a small consolation in the fact he would at least get regular first team action though, which is what all goalkeepers crave.
But ‘Dibu’ wasn’t done writing his story yet…
Now a mainstay for The Villains, Martínez caught the eye of Scaloni, who promoted him to number one in the Argentina national team. His faith was rewarded as Martínez received the Golden Glove award after securing the 2021 Copa América. This included saving three spot kicks in a penalty shootout in the semi-final.
Then despite a shock 2-1 defeat vs Saudi Arabia in their opening game, Argentina picked themselves up and charged through to the World Cup final. Martínez produced a world class save right at the death in extra time, forcing the game to go to penalties. This of course, was followed by another one of his shootout heroics to help his country win their first World Cup since 1986, and cement his legacy in Argentine folklore forever.
Watching the upward trajectory of Martínez’s career in such a short space of time has been nothing short of incredible. Of course, the man is only 30 years old, so he still has a great career ahead of him. From Arsenal’s bench warmer to World Cup winner in just three years. Few could have predicted it, but fair play to him for not giving up.
