Aston Villa are blessed to have several top quality players at the club and goalkeeper Emi Martinez is right at the summit.
Emi Martinez is held in high regard by everyone at Aston Villa, as the World Cup-winning shot-stopper leads by example on the pitch.
Martinez recently claimed the Yashin Trophy for the second year running after his heroics for club and country, helping Villa qualify for the Champions League while winning the Copa America with Argentina.
Monchi also described Martinez as the world’s best and that claim is hard to argue against, especially given his leadership qualities off the pitch.
Emi Martinez bets he keeps more clean sheets than Aston Villa strikers score goals
The Argentina international owes a lot to Villa manager Unai Emery for his progression into a world-class goalkeeper but also his years of experience.
Martinez demands the highest standard of himself and was recently disappointed with the number of clean sheets he’s kept this term.
Emery’s men have somewhat struggled defensively, keeping just one clean sheet in the Premier League while shipping 17 goals.
But none of their issues at the back can be attributed to the form of the goalkeeper, who has bailed his team out on numerous occasions, with Alan Smith lauding Martinez as ‘world-class’ against Ipswich.
The ferocious shot-stopper is also a huge voice in the dressing room and he bets the Villa strikers that he’ll keep more clean sheets than they’ll score goals to push them to perform at the highest level.
“Before big games, I remind the guys where they come from, the sacrifices they’ve made and the dreams they had as kids,” Martinez said via Sport Witness.
“In the dressing room, I never shout, I support. I like to take the pressure from the opposing fans so that my teammates can play freely.
“With the strikers, I bet watches that I will have more clean sheets than they will score goals. Pushing my guys in a good spirit is the best way to push myself.”
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What Unai Emery has said about Martinez
Villa can feel blessed they have a goalkeeper of the Argentine’s calibre leading them into matches and to many he is a captain’s presence on the pitch, alongside John McGinn.
Unsurprisingly, Martinez is also held in high esteem by his manager Emery, and after October’s 3-1 win over Fulham the Spaniard was the latest to label him ‘the best in the world’.
“Emiliano Martinez is the best goalkeeper in the world. We need him in moments like today. I was sitting and I was dreaming of the save he did,” Emery said via the Whitchurch Herald.
As stated above, one of the saves his keeper made had him ‘dreaming’ and it was his form between the sticks that ultimately helped the visitors to all three points.
This isn’t the only time he’s come to his side’s rescue this season, as Martinez was outstanding in the win over Bayern Munich, with his importance there for all to see.
