Dibu Martínez, the best of all, especially in the finals

The impressive saves and performances of Emiliano Martínez, Dibu for the best fans in the world (according to FIFA at The Best awards), left traces in the history of football. But also hurt and upset. The list is long and diverse. Come and see…

FIFA, the same that awarded him as the best goalkeeper of the World Cup in Qatar and of the world in 2022, now you want to create the file colloquially called “Anti Levy Law”to avoid any kind of contact between the goalkeeper and the kicker before a penalty. Will there be no more spells from Mar del Plata?

Even foreign journalism took it as a point, mainly French, English (Martínez is a goalkeeper for Aston Villa, in the Premier League) and Spanish. Just to mention three unequivocal cases. The French perhaps because of the pain of the lost final, the English always so skilled in crucifying alleged infidelities in the game (always those of others, of course) and the Spanish (in practice those of Real Madrid, of which there are many) because Thibaut Courtois She did not win. Remember: beyond the titles with the White House, he had a weak World Cup and his Belgian team – candidate, a priori – remained in the first round.

Even some colleagues pointed out that he did not deserve the award. The truth is that it was decisive for Argentina to win the title. Even Messi pointed to him in this way. Yes Messi. Let’s start from the end: there is some coincidence that Kolo Muani’s final save was the best in World Cup history. Furthermore, once again – in his own way – he was decisive in defining penalties.

Let’s go a little further back. Unbeaten run in three of seven matches (two in the first round and the semi-final against Croatia); key on penalties in the bravísimo match against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Valuable wherever you want to analyze it. And all this without counting what his teammates say about him about how good he is for the group.

It’s about adding to and detailing why her growing journey deserved everything she got. Come and see: 2020 until he raised The Best for best goalkeeper Played five finals; she won them all…

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The premiere of his happy series

1 August 2020, at Wembley: Arsenal 2-Chelsea 1, in the FA Cup Final.

Martínez came to English football at a very young age. He went from the underdogs of Independiente to those of London’s Arsenal. In those inaugural times and important decisions, Pepé Santoro – Independiente’s historic goalkeeper and youth coach – and Dibu’s representative Gustavo Goñi collaborated a lot.

It was not easy to win a place. In 2011 he was transferred to a fourth-rate team, Oxford. Since then he has jumped between the Arsenal bench and loan.

It overtook Rotherham, Wolverhampton and Reading (all in the English second category); Also, in the 17/18 season, he played for Getafe in Spain.

Because he never left the London colossus Arsene Wenger, club historian, it took him little but he valued him a lot. Before each transfer transfer he said the same thing to the board: “He’s a great goalkeeper, don’t sell him.”

Paradoxically, he earned his place with the arrival of another coach, the Spaniard -born in San Sebastián, Basque Country- Mikel Arteta. He put him in the FA Cup decider, the pandemic-heavy Wembley Final, in 2020. Arsenal -against the odds- beat Chelsea 2-1. Dibu, with a handful of valuable saves, contributed to the consecration. During the celebrations of that first day of August, the Argentine goalkeeper sobbed.

A perfect farewell to Arsenal

August 29, at Wembley: Arsenal 1(5) – Liverpool 1(4), for the Community Shield final.

28 days after the FA Cup Final, they played in their opening match of the season, the Community Shield (in which the title is defined by the oldest Cup champion and Premier League champion, in this case Klopp’s Liverpool).

They drew 1-1, at Wembley, and reached the definition on penalties. THE spells de Martínez gave the title to the Gunners. Two finals, two titles. the perfect goodbye for a tour that at times resembled work “Waiting for Godot”. With one difference: hope was beginning to turn into glory.

Just 18 days later, he becomes the most expensive Argentine goalkeeper in history: Aston Villa signs him in exchange for 20 million pounds. Lionel Scaloni, coach of the national team, had already had him in his plans for some time.

The longed-for consecration

10 July 2021, Maracana: Argentina 1 – Brazil 0, for the Copa America final.

COVID had changed all scenarios in the world. Even the one with the Selection bow. Impressed by Franco Armani, the opportunity came to Martínez. The enormous arc of the Selection. He gave confidence from the start, earned his place and had to face a great challenge: the Copa América 2021, in Brazil.

Martínez saved impeccably throughout the course, decisive – especially – in the penalties of the semifinal against Colombia. “Look How I Eat You”has been saved in the long history of sentences of Argentine football.

But the best thing was yet to come: the final against Brazil, landlord and all predictions. Dibu had become a father a few days earlier. Captain Messi recalled this in his memorable previous speech. Martinez saved the tears for later.

Brazil hadn’t lost at the Maracana for 71 years. Argentina has accumulated 28 years without winning the Copa Américathe oldest title in the history of any confederation (its first edition dates back to 1916). “It’s today guys, let’s go slowly, win and bring the Cup to Argentina”insisted Messi.

Then came the game. Angel Di María, Angel of every final, scored the only goal of the match at half-time. Argentina lived up to the circumstances. And when things got messy, Dibu seemed to guarantee zero in his own arc. “Clean sheets”as they say to the undefeated fence in the country where he saves Martínez.

Subsequently, the healthy habit of celebrating continued. With one addition: Emiliano the best goalkeeper of the competition was chosen.

La Finalíssima: still the goal to zero

1 June 2022, at Wembley: Argentina 3 – Italy 0, for the UEFA Champions Cup – Conmebol.

In the year of the World Cup, as a prelude, the UEFA-CONMEBOL Intercontinental Cup was relaunched (the same one that Argentina had beaten Denmark in 1993 with Maradona). Formerly called Artemio Franchi; final time. In any case, an official title contested between the champion of the Copa América and the Eurocopa.

Up front was Italy, curiously eliminated from the World Cup in Qatar, in any case a historic team that had just won Euro 2020. And what He came with the best he had to get rid of the pain of being barred from the maximum appointment.

But they couldn’t Blues. In one of the best performances of the Scaloni cycle, Argentina won 3-0with goals from Lautaro Martínez, Di María and Paulo Dybala.

Dibu had a flawless performance and once again demonstrated his enormous power in the air. Another final against a world champion. Another own bow to zero. other title.

Knocking on the gates of paradise

18 December 2022, at Lusail in Doha: Argentina 3 (4) – France 3 (2), for the World Cup final.

Impossible not to start at that moment. The best ending of all time – it seemed written for the cinema or for a Netflix series- Even when the game has only a few pieces left, he had the most wonderful save of the World Cup.

The game was 3-3, the extra time discount was played. Argentina deserved to be champions for what they did for over an hour on the pitch. Kylian Mbappé didn’t deserve to lose because of the way he revived defending France …

So, history put Kolo Muani and Emiliano Martínez face to face. It was glory for the French, it seemed. The Best Fans in the World -winner of The Best award- beaten and watched from every corner of the stadium, from Argentina, from many sister countries (even in the beautiful and incredible cases of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal…). The French shot was very strong. But Dibu came out quickly, exposed his whole body like a handball goalkeeper and covered her. all the time. Then, against, in the last one, Lautaro almost shouted the fourth. Hand. I had to go to jail…

Pain, euphoria, confidence, restlessness, screaming, hoarseness. And there, Dibu. Mbappé he converted again. But the man from Mar del Plata was already ready to save people from him again. Tied Messi.

Kingsley Coman had come in and there he was Cold. He went, executed, but a giant willing to win everything, in short. The Lusail began wearing blue and white.

Dybala -on Martínez’s recommendation- didn’t aim wide as he usually does. “Put It in the Middle”, He told him. And the crack of Rome did it. Objective.

With Argentina ahead, it was Aurelien Tchouaméni’s turn. The Real Madrid player had the face of someone going to the slaughterhouse. The ball was held by Martínez, near the penalty spot, he threw it away, it annoyed him. And the Frenchman, conditioned, kicks out, near the right post that Dibu had guessed. In the case of.

Follow Paredes (impeccable as always on every penalty) and Kolo Muani (converted as useless revenge). Triple match point. So, to seal the third star was Gonzalo Montiel, relentless without a doubt. Goalkeeper Lloris watched the ball and the cup from afar. Argentina was already an embrace among all. And a cry: “Champions”.

What followed for the central character of this text was much the same: the title celebration with his teammates, the Yashin Award for the best goalkeeper of Qatar 2022, orn epic welcome to Buenos Aires and its Mar del Plata, the imminence of a monument… And, above all, to live inside a dream that he had told his brother in the gallery, in the previous World Cup, in Russia. respected.