Some individuals discuss the butterfly effect in sports around the world. YouTubers Theo Baker and Joe Weller sparred with one another, which resulted in Jake Paul knocking out UFC prizefighter Anderson Silva. Daniel Ricciardo returned to Formula One after Alex Albon developed appendicitis. Derrick Rose’s ACL injury led to LeBron James becoming the (arguably) greatest basketball player of all time.
Perhaps no footballer has experienced a more favorable butterfly effect than Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
After Neal Maupay injured Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno, Martinez was given the opportunity to finally break into the Gunners’ first-team, and he quickly won the FA Cup while filling in for his German counterpart.
The following season, he joined Aston Villa, where he qualified for the Champions League and became Argentina’s number one goalkeeper, winning the World Cup in 2022 (helping cement Lionel Messi’s status as the greatest to ever play the sport) and the Copa America in 2021 and 2024.
Martinez’s career revival has been rapid and impressive. Those who knew him before he broke through at the Emirates may be surprised at how his goals have shifted in recent years.
Arsenal Loan Spells
The Argentine was loaned out six times by Arsenal.
Martinez’s early career was spent moving around the country on a transitory basis. He joined Arsenal as an 18-year-old from his hometown club Independiente and was farmed out to League Two side Oxford United, where he made only one appearance.
Further loans followed, with appearances in the Championship for Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
The Argentine only really broke through as a first-choice option for Wolves, the third-most well-known team, but injury struck after 15 games, sidelining him for several months. Following his return, he was unable to break back into the squad and returned to Arsenal at the end of the season.
After an injury to regular backup David Ospina, he appeared for Arsenal between loans to Rotherham and Wolves, making two Premier League appearances as well as appearing in the Champions League, but the arrival of Chelsea legend Petr Cech soon saw him relegated to third-choice, behind Cech and the aforementioned Ospina, with Wojciech Szczesny out on loan to Roma.
Further loan spells followed in 2017 and 2019, with Getafe in La Liga and Reading in the Championship, respectively, making only five league appearances for the former and 18 in the latter’s second half of the season.
Arsenal Breakthrough
An injury to Leno saw Martinez given a chance
Martinez was called up from the bench to make his first Premier League appearance since the 16/17 season after Leno was forced to leave the game against Brighton in the first half due to injury.
With Leno out for some time and the only other option being the untested Matt Macey, Martinez enjoyed an extended run of performances for The Gunners, and was named to the starting lineup in the FA Cup final, where the Argentine put on a stellar performance to help his side defeat Chelsea, a performance after which he broke down in visible joy.
Aston Villa Transfer and Argentina Breakthrough
Martinez was considered the greatest goalkeeper in Europe while at Villa.
Following Martinez’s great form for Arsenal and Leno’s recovery from injury, Aston Villa came calling for his talents, bringing him to Villa Park in a £20 million transfer, following the lengthy injury to regular first choice Tom Heaton and the departure of loanee Pepe Reina.
With Villa, he demonstrated that his late spike in performance quality at Arsenal was not a one-time occurrence, performing well throughout the 20/21 season in Birmingham, appearing in every game.
After an effective debut season as a first-choice goalkeeper, Argentina called him up to the national squad for the third time in his career.
He made his Argentina debut in a World Cup qualifier against Chile in June 2021, resulting in a 1-1 draw in which Martinez saved a penalty but was beaten on the rebound, and soon after made his major tournament debut with the country at the 2021 Copa America, where he saved three penalties in a semi-final shootout win over Colombia and kept a clean sheet in the final on his way to winning the trophy and the Golden Glove.
Martinez’s exploits would carry over to the 2022 World Cup, where he played very well, including a stunning save against Randal Kolo Muani in the final, before saving a penalty from Kingsley Coman.
In the shootout against France, he helped his country win the World Cup and was awarded the Golden Glove once more.He was chosen the world’s top goalie in the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony, winning the Yashin Trophy. His success did not stop there, as he went on to win another Copa America (and Golden Glove) in 2024, after helping Aston Villa unexpectedly qualify for the Champions League.
As a result, he has made the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or and might become the first goalkeeper to win the Yashin Trophy twice. Martinez’s newfound success is genuinely unique, and he can confidently claim to be one of, if not the, Best in the world.
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