Everything you need to know about Aston Villa ace Emi Martinez, from his family life to his acute knowledge of languages.
Villa have put together a highly impressive collection of players over recent years. This has seen them propel up the table and compete in Europe once again.
Villa Park is witnessing some of their best football under Unai Emery with the club collecting plenty of memorable victories this season. Villa’s triumph over Arsenal last year prompted many pundits to debate if they were in the title race.
Multiple players are to thank for this success. Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz have really stepped up over recent seasons, while Leon Bailey is having his best season in a Villa shirt to date.
Another player on every fan’s lips is Emi Martinez. The goalkeeper has become a household name since joining the club with consistently impressive performances. Here, you can find out eight things you may not know about the Argentinian and Villa sensation.
What is Emi Martinez’s age?
Born on September 2, 1992, Emi Martinez is 31 years of age. The goalkeeper shares a birthday with actors Keanu Reeves and Salma Hayek.
How tall is Emi Martinez?
Standing at 195cm, Martinez is 6’5”. However, the goalkeeper is not the tallest player at Villa. Defender Tyrone Mings is one centimetre taller at 196cm.
Does Emi Martinez speak Spanish?
Born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Martinez spent his youth days in his home country playing for Independiente before moving to Arsenal in 2010. Therefore, the goalkeeper’s native tongue is Spanish. The 31-year-old can also speak English and Portuguese as well as understand Italian.
Talking about his fluency in languages he told former club Reading: “I had a really good teacher – she’s now Unai Emery’s English teacher! I hadn’t seen her for so many years but now I see her every day at the training ground. I’m thankful for the English she taught me, it was a massive help for me.
“I was able to pick up the language quite easily, but in the first six months, it’s always difficult. The main thing Arsenal wanted me to learn was the defensive words in football, ‘get out,’ ‘left, right shoulder’ and other things. I managed to get that in one week thankfully – I also speak Portuguese fluently and understand Italian as well.”
Is Emi Martinez married?
Martinez married Amanda “Mandinha” in 2017. The couple have had two children since, a boy named Santi and a daughter called Ava.
What gloves does Emi Martinez wear?
The goalkeeper opts to wear Adidas gloves when he is between the sticks. The Villa player goes with the Predator Pro line, specifically an SMU of the GL Competition variation of the glove
How long has Emi Martinez been at Aston Villa?
Martinez spent nine seasons at Arsenal where he would go out on loan five times, mainly to Championship sides. After a run in the first team at the Gunners which saw him lift the FA Cup, the goalkeeper moved to Villa in the 2020/21 season.
The 31-year-old is now going into his fourth season at the Birmingham club making it almost four years at Villa at the time of writing.
How much did Aston Villa pay for Emi Martinez?
After negotiating with Arsenal, it was reported that the two clubs agreed on a £20m fee for the player. Martinez has more than repaid this fee during his time at the club. The 31-year-old has now become one of the best goalkeepers in the world, especially after his performance at the World Cup in 2022.
What dance did Emi Martinez do at the World Cup?
During the 2022 World Cup, Martinez was one of the tournament’s biggest characters as Argentina went on to win the prestigious trophy.
His biggest performance came in the final itself. The goalkeeper made a vital save right at the end of the game to ensure it was taken to penalties.
Here, Martinez shone as he took centre stage. The goalkeeper saved Kingsley Coman’s penalty before Aurelien Tchouameni sent his wide of the post. This resulted in a dance from Martinez as Argentina went on to win the shootout.
