Not since Diego Maradona have Argentina had a pantomime villain to match wind-up merchant Emiliano Martinez… but his £16m move to Aston Villa is one of Arsenal’s daftest decisions this century

Not since the days of Diego Maradona have Argentina had a pantomime villain to match Emi Martinez.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper is the biggest wind-up merchant in world football and is disliked in France in much the same way Maradona was in England after his ‘Hand of God’ goal knocked Sir Bobby Robson’s team out of the 1986 World Cup.

Martinez is not as good as Maradona – who is? – but letting him join Villa for just £16million in 2020 has to be one of the daftest pieces of transfer business Arsenal have conducted this century.

When taking on cricketing greats Shane Warne and Brian Lara, rivals had a simple rule: don’t provoke them. Supporters and opponents would do well to follow the same rule when facing Martinez. He was baited by Lille fans from the moment he jogged out for the warm-up – and Martinez loved every second of it, right up to the save he made from Benjamin Andre in the penalty shoot-out to send Villa into the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

Martinez was already public enemy No 1 in French football thanks to his antics in the 2022 World Cup Final. He bent the rules as far as possible to unnerve the France players during the penalty shoot-out, which Argentina won. He then compounded it with his lewd celebrations and mocking of Kylian Mbappe, who had scored a hat-trick in that game.

Martinez was baited by Lille fans and loved every moment of it until he won Villa the game

Not since Diego Maradona have Argentina had a pantomime villain like the Villa goalkeeper

‘I get motivated by the fans and through my life when I’ve had stuff thrown on my back I always get up,’ Martinez said. ‘It gives me fuel to perform.

‘I love this football club and playing a European semi-final for them is incredible. My career keeps going up and up, and it is 42 years since we’ve been here in European competition. It’s remarkable and we should celebrate these victories.

‘We want to go all the way and that’s the message we had after the game. We need to have that mentality to think that when we play the next game we kill off the game at home.’

In Lille on Thursday, Martinez’s running battle with the Virage Est – the stand that houses Lille’s hardcore fans – was more absorbing than anything the other 27 players involved served up.

Every time Martinez received the ball, they booed, hissed and whistled. Every time, he held it for as long as possible, drawing the sting. After Andre’s header hit Martinez in the face, he collapsed in the back of the goal, bringing more fury.

This – in a nutshell – is why Martinez is so good in the one-on-one combat of penalty shoot-outs. More important than his technique or athleticism, Martinez loves the duel, the chance to unsettle an opponent or infuriate a hostile crowd. In extra-time, Martinez was clearly playing for penalties and when the shoot-out began, you never really thought he would end up on the losing side.

Arsenal’s decision to sell him to Aston Villa for £16m is one of their daftest pieces of transfer business this century

Martinez was already public enemy No 1 in France after his antics at the 2022 World Cup

He fooled around with his Golden Glove award after helping Argentina win the World Cup

We have seen it before, for club and country. He helped Argentina win the Copa America in a chaotic penalty sequence against Colombia in the semi-final when Martinez shouted ‘Te como, hermano’ – ‘I will eat you, brother’ – at Yerry Mina before stopping his kick.

He came out on top in the Community Shield for Arsenal against Liverpool in August 2020, only to move to Villa the following month. He delivered against the Netherlands and France in the World Cup and Lille is his latest triumph.

‘Even when we were watching Manchester City play Real Madrid on Tuesday the manager (Unai Emery) was saying we might go to penalties and in those moments I own my box,’ said Martinez. ‘It has been a hell of a ride all of my career. I am a believer and a hard worker and it was my destiny.’

Perhaps this time he went a little too far, however. Villa believe the booking Martinez received in the shoot-out will rule him out of the first leg of the semi-final against Olympiacos, and his No 2 Robin Olsen is simply not at the same level.

Emery defended his keeper staunchly but it has not always been plain sailing between the pair. 

Martinez famously said ‘I will eat you, brother’ before saving Yerry Mina’s penalty at the Copa America in 2021

Martinez is not about to change his ways anytime soon and Villa are not about to commit an Arsenal-style transfer blunder

Neither Villa nor Martinez would admit it publicly, but in Emery’s early days Martinez was eyeing clubs in the Champions League and Villa weighed up whether to listen to offers. During his initial months at Villa, Emery wondered whether Martinez was good enough with the ball at his feet, with a 4-2 home defeat by Arsenal in February 2023 the most difficult moment of their relationship.

All those doubts are gone now. Emery and Martinez are united by a ferocious desire to win and know they can help each other realise it. 

Unless they receive an enormous offer, Villa are not about to commit an Arsenal-style transfer blunder and unfortunately for French football fans, Martinez is not about to change his ways any time soon.