Not since Diego Maradona have Argentina had a pantomime villain to match liquidation merchant Emiliano Martinez… but his £16million move to Aston Villa is one of Argentina’s stupidest decisions Arsenal this century.

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

The Aston Villa goalkeeper is the biggest liquidation merchant in world football and is hated in France the same way Maradona was in England after his ‘Hand of God’ goal knocked out Sir Bobby Robson from the 1986 World Cup.

Martinez is not as good as Maradona – who is? – but letting him join Villa for just £16m in 2020 has to be one of the stupidest transfer deals Arsenal have pulled off this century.

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

Martinez was already public enemy No. 1 of French football thanks to his antics during the 2022 World Cup final. He bent the rules as much as possible to destabilize the French players during the penalty shootout, won by Argentina. He then made the situation worse with his obscene celebrations and mockery of Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick in that match.

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

Not since Diego Maradona have Argentina had a pantomime villain like Villa’s goalkeeper.

“I’m motivated by the fans and throughout my life, when things are thrown at me, I always stand up,” Martinez said. “It gives me fuel to perform.

“I love this football club and to play a European semi-final for them is incredible. My career continues to progress and it’s been 42 years since we played in a 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 have to have that mentality to think that when we play the next game we will kill the game at home.

On Thursday in Lille, Martinez’s battle with the Virage Est – the stand that houses Lille’s die-hard fans – was more captivating than anything the other 27 players involved served up.

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

This is – in a nutshell – why Martinez is so good in one-on-one penalty shootout battles. More important than his technique or his athletic qualities, Martinez loves the duel, the opportunity to destabilize an opponent or exasperate a hostile crowd. In extra time Martinez was clearly playing on penalties and when the penalties started you never really thought he would end up on the losing side.

Arsenal’s decision to sell him to Aston Villa for £16 million is one of the stupidest transfer deals of this century.

Martinez was already public enemy number 1 in France after his antics at the 2022 World Cup

He had fun with his Golden Glove after helping Argentina win the World Cup

We’ve seen it before, at club and country. He helped Argentina win the Copa America during a chaotic penalty sequence against Colombia in the semi-final when Martinez shouted “Te como, hermano” – “I’m going to eat you, brother” – at Yerry Mina before to stop his kick.

He won the Community Shield for Arsenal against Liverpool in August 2020, before joining Villa the following month. He won 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 could go to penalties and in those moments I own my box,” Martinez said. “It’s been quite an adventure throughout my career. I am a believer and a hard worker and this was my destiny.

But this time he may have gone a little too far. Villa believe Martinez’s shootout booking will rule him out of the semi-final first leg against Olympiacos, and his number 2, Robin Olsen, is simply not at the same level.

Emery staunchly defended his goalkeeper, but things were not always easy between the two men.

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

Martinez isn’t about to change his ways anytime soon and Villa aren’t about to make an Arsenal-style transfer mistake

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

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

Unless they receive a huge offer, Villa are not about to make a transfer mistake the way Arsenal did and unfortunately for French football fans, Martinez is not about to change his ways.