Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez is living the dream as he has the chance to win a third international tournament in a row for Argentina this summer.
Having won the 2021 edition of Copa America and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Emi Martinez is now looking ahead to the opportunity to make history in the final of this year’s Copa America in a matter of days.
The Aston Villa number one has more than played his part in that journey, with his penalty shootout heroics in the quarter-final followed by another solid display in the 2-0 win over Canada in the semi-final.
If Argentina win the final in the early hours of Monday morning UK time they will overtake Uruguay to become the outright leader in Copa America triumphs; both nations currently on 15.
They could well face Uruguay in a one-off game for that honour in the final as Uruguay face Colombia in the other semi-final, but Martinez will be confident regardless of the opposition .
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Emi Martinez believes he is now better than when he won the World Cup
Martinez was something of a late bloomer.
Having joined Arsenal in 2011, it wasn’t until he signed for Villa in 2021 that the goalkeeper was a first-team regular at the top level.
Now 31, it has been a whirlwind few years for Martinez and the stopper insists he is only getting better; an outcome he predicted after winning the World Cup in winter 2022.
Speaking after the victory over Canada in New Jersey, Martinez explained: “I said that the best was to come.
“I work for that, I feel better and better, I make better decisions on the pitch and always when they score a goal it corrects me a lot.”
The fact that Martinez is supremely confident but ensures he learns from goals he concedes is a recipe for success and it is difficult to argue with the former Oxford United loanee’s meteoric rise.
Martinez not only Aston Villa player that could enjoy international success this summer
Regardless of who wins the other semi-final between Uruguay and Colombia, Argentina will go into the final as favourites.
However, Martinez is not the only Villa player who could win silverware for his country this summer.
Both Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins are on international duty with England at Euro 2024, where they will meet new Villa signing Ian Maatsen’s Netherlands in the semi-final on Wednesday night.
Maatsen is yet to feature in the tournament, whilst Watkins has slipped behind Ivan Toney in the pecking order.
However, Konsa has given Gareth Southgate a real decision to make after he impressed while deputising for the suspended Marc Guehi in the quarter-final win over Switzerland.
Whatever happens when England take on the Netherlands, Villa will have at least one representative involved in the Euro 2024 final.
