May 22, 2023: Martinez was a key component of the national Argentina team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Continue reading to know more!
Emiliano Martinez, the Argentine custodian who won the FIFA World Cup, will travel to Kolkata for two days in late June or early July on a promotional visit, the person behind the idea announced on Friday.
The agreement for the tour was reached on Friday, Satradu Dutta, who played a key role in bringing the late Pele and Diego Maradona to Kolkata, reported to PTI from London.
The visit is tentatively scheduled for June 20-21 or July 1-3. Everything has been signed, and in a day or two, they will settle on the precise dates. “We'll have a little photo shoot tomorrow,” said Dutta, a Kolkata-based sports promoter and business adviser, on May 12.
"I am happy that Martinez will visit Kolkata at the end of June after considerable effort. This will be something spectacular for the City of Joy, where Argentina fans are waiting with bated breath,” he added.
Martinez was a key component in Lionel Messi's captaincy as Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Doha. In a heated quarter-final battle against the Netherlands, he stopped two penalty shots, and in the summit match against France, he did the same.
Martinez, 30, was voted the World Cup's top goalkeeper. He presently plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League. The same award was given to him in the 2021 Copa America, which Argentina won with the help of Messi.
Oscar Ustari was replaced by Martinez when Argentina's senior team was called up to take on Nigeria in June 2011. On October 9 and 13, 2019, he was given his second senior call up against Germany and Ecuador; he did not make a substitute appearance in either exhibition games.
On June 3, 2021, Martinez made his debut for his country against Chile in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier that ended in a 1-1 tie. The following day, on June 14, he made his professional debut in a major competition, drawing 1-1 with the same opponent in his team's inaugural Copa América game at the Estádio Olmpico Nilton Santos in Brazil.
At Wembley Stadium on June 1, 2022, Martinez kept a clean sheet as Argentina defeated Italy, the current European Champions, 3-0 in the 2022 Finalissima. Martinez participated in each of his team's matches while representing Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In a shootout against the Netherlands in the quarterfinal, he stopped two penalties to enable his team advance to the semifinals. In the decider, Martinez stopped a shot from Randal Kolo Muani in a 1-on-1 situation in the final second of extra time to send the game to penalties.
Later, he helped Argentina win the tournament with a 4-2 shootout victory after the game had ended in a 3-3 draw during extra time by saving a penalty from Kingsley Coman. For his efforts in the competition, he was given the Golden Glove award.
