Aston Villa boss, Unai Emery, has planned to talk with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez about his antics during and after Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph.
Martinez received widespread criticism for some of his behaviour in Qatar despite helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup.
The Aston Villa keeper was accused of ‘cheating’ during the World Cup final against France by ‘manipulating the circumstances’ of the penalty shootout.
The 30-year-old was also criticised for holding his Golden Glove award in a lewd way towards France fans while he has been seen mocking France forward Kylian Mbappe multiple times since Argentina lifted the World Cup.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Aston Villa’s Boxing Day fixture with Liverpool, Emery also said he was proud of Martinez for winning the World Cup.
“When you have a big emotion, sometimes it is difficult to control it,” Emery said.
“I will speak to him next week about some of the celebrations, but I need to respect that he’s with his national team right now. When he’s back with us, we can speak about it.”
“We are so proud of him. He won the World Cup, it is amazing! Aston Villa fans can be very proud,” he continued.
“He’s coming back next week, so we are expecting him to be ready for the game at Tottenham on New Year’s Day.”
