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Since taking over as Argentina’s No. 1 player, Emi Martinez has become a key player for his country.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper was instrumental in his country’s World Cup qualification as well as their their Copa America and Finalissima triumph. And he’s been outstanding yet again in this World Cup, with his standout performance so far coming against the Netherlands, where he was the hero in the penalty shootout that advanced them to the semifinals.
Martinez is a fiery character who is passionate and wears his heart on his sleeves and has no qualms about getting into it with opponents.
And he had much to say about Kylian Mbappe’s recent comments about the difference between European and South American football. The PSG striker stated that there is a difference in quality between the football with the last four World Cup all being won by a European country including France in 2018. He said:
“The advantage we have in Europe is that we play among ourselves with high-level matches all the time, such as the Nations League.
“When we arrive at the World Cup, we are ready, whereas Brazil and Argentina do not have this level in South America. Football is not as advanced as in Europe. That’s why at the last World Cups, it’s always the Europeans who win.”
And when asked about Mbappe’s comments during the press conference ahead of the final, Martinez replied responded:
“He doesn’t know enough about football. He never played in South America.
“When you don’t have this experience, it may be better not to talk about it. But it doesn’t matter. We are a great team, recognised as such.”
“People can say that the favourites are France, but we have the great advantage to have the greatest player of all time [in Lionel Messi].”
“We always like to hear that the opponent is the favourite because we don’t feel either superior or inferior to anyone. But, as I always say, we have the greatest player of all time. And with a good defence, we have many chances to reach our goal.”
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