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

Since the days of Diego Maradona, Argentina hasn’t had a pantomime villain to rival Emi Martinez.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper is world football’s biggest buyer and is as hated in France as Maradona is in England after his ‘Hand of God’ goal knocked Sir Bobby Robson’s team out of the 1986 World Cup.

Martinez isn’t as good as Maradona – who is? But signing him to Villa in 2020 for just €16m has to be one of the craziest transfers Arsenal have made this century.

When they took on cricketing greats Shane Warne and Brian Lara, the rivals had a simple rule: don’t provoke them. Supporters and opponents would do well to follow the same rule towards Martinez. He was lured by Lille’s fans from the moment he jogged before 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 to the semi-final to send. 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 French players during the penalty shoot-out, which Argentina won. He then made matters worse with his obscene celebrations and mocking Kylian Mbappé, who had scored a hat-trick in that match.

Martinez was lured by Lille fans and enjoyed every moment until he won Villa the match

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

“I’m motivated by the fans and all my life when stuff gets thrown on my back, I always get up,” Martinez said. ‘It gives me fuel to perform.

‘I love this football club and it is incredible to play for them in a European semi-final. My career just keeps going up and it’s been 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 is the message we had after the match. We have to have that mentality to think that when we play the next game, we will finish the game at home.”

On Thursday in Lille, Martinez’s battle with the Virage Est – the stand where Lille’s hardcore fans live – was more fascinating than anything presented by the other 27 players involved.

Every time Martinez received the ball, there was booing, hissing and whistling. Each time he held it as long as he could and pulled the stinger out. After Andre’s header hit Martinez in the face, he collapsed at the back of the goal, sparking further anger.

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

Arsenal’s decision to sell him to Aston Villa for £16 million is one of their most idiotic transfers of this century

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

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

We’ve seen it before, for club and country. He helped Argentina win the Copa America in a chaotic penalty shootout against Colombia in the semi-finals 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, but moved to Villa the following month. He performed against the Netherlands and France at the World Cup and Lille is his latest victory.

“Even when we saw Manchester City play Real Madrid on Tuesday, the manager (Unai Emery) said we might take penalties and in those moments I own my box,” Martinez said. “It’s been a hell of a ride my entire career. I am a believer and a hard worker and it was my destiny.”

But maybe this time he went a little too far. 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 their number 2 Robin Olsen is simply not at the same level.

Emery defended his keeper resolutely, but things did not always go smoothly between the two.

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

Martinez has no plans to change his behavior anytime soon and Villa have no plans to commit an Arsenal-style transfer blunder

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

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

Unless they receive a huge offer, Villa have no intention of committing an Arsenal-style transfer blunder and unfortunately for French football fans, Martinez has no intention of changing his behavior any time soon.