One of the biggest success stories of this World Cup has been the incredible rise of Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper was once again the hero in a penalty shoot-out to help Argentina claim their third World Cup.
While the magical moments of Lionel Messi will claim the praise from the plaudits, Argentina wouldn't have won the World Cup without Martinez.
Martinez heroics against the Netherlands got his side out of jail, while a crucial save in the final moments from Kolo Muani brought the game to penalties.
After some typical mind games, Martinez denied Kingsley Coman in the shoot-out to help Argentina end 36 years of hurt.
The Rise Of Emi Martinez
If you asked Argentina, or indeed Arsenal fans two and a half years ago if they thought Emi Martinez would be a World Cup winner, they probably would have called you insane.
Martinez joined Arsenal in 2012 but found minutes hard to come by. The Argentine made his debut in 2012 in the League Cup against Coventry, but failed to break into the side.
Loan spells to Rotherham United, Port Vale and Oxford United were the story of his Arsenal career, as he couldn't catch a break between game time and minutes.
The Breakthrough
Cast your minds back to the dark days of the pandemic in June 2020,as Premier League games took place in empty stadiums.
In a bad tempered clash at the Amex Stadium, Brighton defeated Arsenal 2-1 in a game full of drama. Most notably, Neal Maupay became an enemy for Arsenal fans.
The then Brighton striker clashed with former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno, leaving him to go off in a stretcher, as Emi Martinez was introduced to Arsenal fans.
The injury to the German goalkeeper kept him out for the rest of the season, with Martinez impressing between the posts as Arsenal claimed the FA Cup.
His impressive performances led to Aston Villa spending £2o million for his services, a decision Arsenal surely regret.
His impressive first season under Dean Smith saw him keep a club record number of clean sheets in the Premier League.
This impressive record was rewarded with a call up to Argentina in 2021, as Emi Martinez made his debut in a World Cup qualifier against Chile. He then went on to be a crucial part of their Copa America triumph, making vital saves in the penalty shoot-out victory over Columbia.
Emi Martinez remained their number one goalkeeper leading up to the World Cup, and is now a World Cup winner in a side that will be remembered for years to come.
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