Emiliano Martínez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Uruguayan footballer, see Emiliano Martínez (footballer, born 1999).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Martínez and the second or maternal family name is Romero.

Emiliano Martínez
Damian Martinez.jpg
Martínez with Arsenal in 2015
Personal information
Full name Damián Emiliano Martínez Romero[1]
Date of birth (1992-09-02) 2 September 1992 (age 29)[2]
Place of birth Mar del Plata, Argentina
Height 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Aston Villa
Number 1
Youth career
2008–2010 Independiente
2010–2012 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2020 Arsenal 15 (0)
2012 → Oxford United (loan) 1 (0)
2013–2014 → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 11 (0)
2015 → Rotherham United (loan) 8 (0)
2015–2016 → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) 13 (0)
2017–2018 → Getafe (loan) 5 (0)
2019 → Reading (loan) 18 (0)
2020– Aston Villa 65 (0)
National team‡
2009 Argentina U17 2 (0)
2009–2011 Argentina U20 5 (0)
2021– Argentina 16 (0)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Argentina
Copa América
Winner 2021 Brazil
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 March 2022
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 February 2022

Damián Emiliano Martínez Romero (born 2 September 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Argentina national team.[4]

Martínez trained at Independiente's youth ranks before moving to Arsenal in 2010. At Arsenal, he served as understudy, being loaned to various English clubs, before breaking into the starting line-up in 2019, helping them win a FA Cup and FA Community Shield. In September 2020, Martínez moved to fellow Premier League club Aston Villa in a transfer worth £20 million. In his first season at the club, he kept a club record 15 clean sheets in the Premier League.

Martínez is a former Argentina youth international, representing his country at under-17, and under-20 levels. He earned his first cap for the senior national team in 2021, helping his nation win the 2021 Copa América, while winning the Golden Glove for the latter, keeping a clean sheet in the final.

Club career[]

Independiente[]

Born in Mar del Plata, Martínez started his career playing for Independiente's youth side, he was invited to trial at Arsenal shortly after his 17th birthday and was offered a youth contract initially.[5]

Arsenal[]

2012–19: Loan moves and fringe appearances[]

Martínez with Arsenal in 2018

After injuries to Ryan Clarke and Wayne Brown, and the termination of Connor Ripley's loan, Martínez went on emergency loan to Oxford United, making his debut in the English Football League in their final game of the season against Port Vale in League Two on 5 May 2012;[6][7] Port Vale won 3–0.[8][9] Later that year, Martinez was named on the Arsenal substitute bench for their fixtures away at Stoke City on 26 August and against Liverpool on 2 September, as cover for the injured Wojciech Szczęsny and Łukasz Fabiański, respectively. On 26 September, he made his Arsenal debut in a 6–1 home win against Coventry City in the third-round of the League Cup.[10] He made his second Arsenal appearance in the following round in a 7–5 win away at Reading.[11] Martínez subsequently transferred to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on an emergency 28-day loan on 15 October 2013.[12] He made his debut for Wednesday on 23 November, against Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town. Martínez's loan was eventually extended until the end of the season.[13]

After returning to Arsenal, Martínez was an unused substitute as Arsenal won the Community Shield on 10 August 2014, with a 3–0 win over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.[14] He made his debut in the Champions League soon after, helping Arsenal defeat Anderlecht 2–1 in the group stage.[15] He then made his Premier League debut as a 2nd half substitute, replacing the injured Szczęsny against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on 22 November.[16] With injuries to backup goalkeeper David Ospina, Martínez played his second Champions League game on 26 November, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory over Borussia Dortmund.[17] His "faultless" performance in the match led to him being named in the UEFA Team of the Week.[18] He made his first Premier League start on 29 November against West Bromwich Albion, and also started against Southampton four days later; he kept two clean sheets as Arsenal won both matches 1–0.[19][20]

On 20 March 2015, Martínez joined Championship club Rotherham United on an emergency loan until the end of the season.[21] He made his debut the following day against South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday, conceding two added-time goals in a 3–2 home defeat.[22] On 2 August, Martínez was an unused substitute as new signing Petr Čech played for Arsenal in the 2015 FA Community Shield, a 1–0 win over rivals Chelsea.[23] On 11 August, he joined Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season-long loan.[24] After making 15 appearances in the opening months of the campaign, he suffered a thigh injury that kept him out of contention for several months and was unable to regain his starting place afterwards.[25] He spent the 2016–17 season at his parent club, for whom he played 5 games during the campaign, including a Premier League appearance against West Ham.[26]

On 2 August 2017, he was loaned to La Liga side Getafe on a one-year deal,[27] and on 23 January 2019, he was loaned to Championship side Reading until the end of the season.[28] At Reading, Martínez made his debut on 29 January against Bolton Wanderers, and won the Man of the Match award against Aston Villa a few days later.

2019–20: Breakthrough and departure[]

With Bernd Leno being taken off injured during the first half of Arsenal's defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on 20 June 2020, Martínez came off the bench to make his first Premier League appearance since the 2016–17 season.[29] This led to Martínez seeing out the season as first choice goalkeeper at the club and was highly commended for a string of stellar performances,[30][31] with former Arsenal striker Ian Wright describing him as "commanding" and as having played "brilliantly" during his extended spell in the team.[32] On 1 August, Martínez was selected to start in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea, he went on to make some crucial saves to help Arsenal win their 14th FA Cup; after lifting the trophy he was visibly emotional and reduced to tears.[33]

Martínez started in the Community Shield clash against Liverpool on 29 August, which Arsenal won on penalties.[34] Following the match, there was much speculation that Martínez would leave the club with Bernd Leno returning and the player himself stated that he either wanted to stay at the club and be first-choice keeper or leave on a permanent basis.[35] With reported interest from a number of Premier League and foreign clubs, including Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion, Martínez was left out of the squad to face Fulham on the opening day of the league season.[36]

Aston Villa[]

2020–21 season[]

On 16 September 2020, Martínez transferred to fellow Premier League club Aston Villa in a deal worth up to £20 million.[37][38] He signed a four-year deal.[39] On 21 September, Martínez made his debut for Villa, saving a penalty from John Lundstram[40] in a 1–0 home win against Sheffield United.[41] In his first season at Aston Villa, Martínez equalled Brad Friedel's club record for clean sheets in a Premier League season, with 15[42] - as well as being voted Aston Villa Supporters' Player of the Season.[43]

2021–22 season[]

On 21 January 2022, Martinez signed a 3 year contract extension which will see him contracted to Villa until the end of the 2026–27 season.[44]

International career[]

"We have 'Dibu' and he's a phenomenon."

– Lionel Messi on Martinez's performances in 2021 Copa América[45][46][47]

Martínez was called up to the Argentina senior squad to replace Oscar Ustari to face Nigeria in June 2011.[48] He received his second senior call up against Germany and Ecuador on 9 and 13 October 2019;[49] he was an unused substitute for both friendly matches.[50]

Martínez made his international debut on 3 June 2021, in a 1–1 draw with Chile in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match.[51] He subsequently made his competitive debut in a major tournament on 14 June, once again in a 1–1 draw against the same opponent in his side's opening match of the 2021 Copa América at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Brazil.[52] In the 57th minute, he saved a penalty from Arturo Vidal, but he failed to prevent Eduardo Vargas from scoring on the rebound.[53] On 6 July, Martínez saved three spot kicks in a 3–2 penalty shootout victory for Argentina over Colombia in the semi-final of the tournament.[54] He went on to finish the tournament with a clean sheet in the 1–0 victory over Brazil in the final.[55] Martínez was also awarded the 2021 Copa América's Golden Glove award as the best keeper of the tournament for his performances.[56]

Personal life[]

He is nicknamed "Dibu" (Spanish for Draw), after an animated character in the Argentine television series Mi familia es un dibujo, he was given the nickname while a young player at Club Atlético Independiente when the TV series was highly popular.[57] Martínez signed a sponsorship deal with Puma in 2018.[58]

Martínez has been married to Portuguese bussinesswoman Amanda "Mandinha" (née Gama) since 2017. The couple have a son, Santi, and a daughter, Ava.[59][60]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of match played 13 March 2022[61]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal 2011–12[62] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2012–13[63] Premier League 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 — 2 0
2013–14[64] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2014–15[65] Premier League 4 0 0 0 0 0 2[a] 0 0 0 6 0
2015–16[66] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016–17[67] Premier League 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 — 5 0
2017–18[68] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018–19[69] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 1[b] 0 — 1 0
2019–20[70] Premier League 9 0 6 0 2 0 6[b] 0 — 23 0
2020–21[71] Premier League 0 0 — — — 1[c] 0 1 0
Total 15 0 6 0 7 0 9 0 1 0 38 0
Oxford United (loan) 2011–12[62] League Two 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 1 0
Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 2013–14[64] Championship 11 0 4 0 0 0 — — 15 0
Rotherham United (loan) 2014–15[65] Championship 8 0 0 0 0 0 — — 8 0
Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) 2015–16[66] Championship 13 0 0 0 2 0 — — 15 0
Getafe (loan) 2017–18[68] La Liga 5 0 2 0 — — — 7 0
Reading (loan) 2018–19[69] Championship 18 0 0 0 0 0 — — 18 0
Aston Villa 2020–21[71] Premier League 38 0 0 0 0 0 — — 38 0
2021–22[72] Premier League 27 0 1 0 0 0 — — 28 0
Total 65 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 66 0
Career total 132 0 13 0 9 0 9 0 1 0 164 0
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearance in FA Community Shield

International[]

As of match played 1 February 2022[61]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals Clean Sheets
Argentina 2021 14 0 09
2022 2 0 01
Total 16 0 10

Honours[]

Arsenal

Argentina

Individual

References[]

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  2. ^ "Emiliano Martinez: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Emiliano Martínez: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Villa sign Emiliano Martinez ✍️". Aston Villa Official Site. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Emiliano Martínez seizes chance at Arsenal to make sacrifices worthwhile". The Guardian. 30 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Oxford United sign Arsenal keeper Damian Martinez on loan". BBC Sport. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Martinez joins Oxford on emergency loan". Arsenal FC. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Port Vale 3 Oxford Utd 0". BBC Sport. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  9. ^ "Loan Watch: Wellington scores for Alcoyano". Arsenal FC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Arsenal 6–1 Coventry". BBC Sport. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Games played by Emiliano Martínez in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  12. ^ "Arsenal talent joins Owls". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  13. ^ "Martinez extends loan deal with Owls | News Archive". Arsenal F.C. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  14. ^ Sanghera, Mandeep (10 August 2014). "Arsenal 3–0 Man City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  15. ^ "RSC Anderlecht 1–2 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Wilshere & Szczesny forced out of Manchester United clash as injury strikes Arsenal". Goal.com. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  17. ^ Chowdhury, Saj. "Arsenal 2–0 Borussia Dortmund". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  18. ^ "UEFA.com's team of the week – UEFA Champions League". UEFA. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  19. ^ Reddy, Luke (29 November 2014). "West Bromwich Albion 0–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  20. ^ McNulty, Phil. "Arsenal 1–0 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  21. ^ "Emiliano Martinez and Lawrie Wilson join Rotherham on loan". BBC Sport. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  22. ^ "Rotherham 2–3 Sheff Wed". BBC Sport. 21 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  23. ^ Cryer, Andy (2 August 2015). "Arsenal 1–0 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
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  26. ^ "Arsenal 3–0 West Ham United". BBC Sport. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
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  29. ^ "Brighton 2-1 Arsenal: Maupay stuns Gunners with late winner". 20 June 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  30. ^ Meade, Sam (14 July 2020). "Mikel Arteta hails Emiliano Martinez with warning to Bernd Leno over No.1 spot". mirror.
  31. ^ Jacob, Gary. "From Argentina to Wembley via six loan spells – how Emiliano Martínez took his chance as Arsenal No 1" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  32. ^ "'Martinez is better than Kepa, Chelsea could get him' – Wright fears goalkeeper raid on Arsenal". www.goal.com.
  33. ^ "Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez breaks down in tears after FA Cup final". talksport.com. 1 August 2020.
  34. ^ Wilson, Amie (29 August 2020). "Arsenal fans make Ainsley Maitland-Niles transfer plea after Community Shield win vs Liverpool". Football London. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  35. ^ "Martinez: I'll leave Arsenal if I don't get more games". Goal. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  36. ^ "Emiliano Martínez not in Arsenal squad and Brighton join race to sign him". The Guardian. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  37. ^ Dutton, Tom (16 September 2020). "Arsenal confirm £20m Emiliano Martinez transfer as goalkeeper joins Aston Villa". Evening Standard. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  38. ^ Taylor, Ryan (16 September 2020). "Arsenal receive £20m cash injection towards Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar transfers". Daily Express. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  39. ^ Smith, Emma (16 September 2020). "Martinez completes £20m transfer to Aston Villa from Arsenal". Goal. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
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