Argentina’s dancing goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez reveals his celebration after winning the World Cup Golden Glove was aimed at French fans who ‘booed’ him during the final
Emiliano Martinez has explained that he made a lewd gesture with the Golden Glove to hit back at French fans after he was booed during the World Cup final.
Martinez was one of Argentina’s heroes in the final, saving Randal Kolo Muani with a crucial save in the final minute of extra time and saving Kingsley Coman’s penalty in the ensuing shoot-out.
After keeping three clean sheets in Qatar, Martinez was presented with the Golden Glove, awarded to the tournament’s best goalkeeper. Shortly after, he was pictured making a crude gesture with the gong as he held it over his privates, and he has now revealed why he did it.
Emiliano Martinez made a lewd gesture after the Golden Glove final
Martinez has revealed he decided to make the gesture in response to being booed by French fans
“I did it because the French booed me. Pride doesn’t work for me,” he told Argentine radio station La Red.
Martinez’s reaction wasn’t the first time in the tournament that he continued to crush an opponent after a match.
The 30-year-old goalscorer also played a starring role in Argentina’s penalty shoot-out win over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, then yelled at a Dutch opponent: ‘Shut up you shit***’ after a chaotic game that ended with 15 yellow cards and ended with a red card.
Much like that night against Louis van Gaal’s side, Martinez showed his strength on penalties in the final, demanding more noise from the crowd after saving Coman’s penalty and then dancing for the cameras as Aurelien Tchouameni scored his wide moments later.
He seemed amused as Argentina won the World Cup for a third time but later admitted France had pushed his team to the limit as they kept coming back to the competition.
Martinez prevented Randal Kolo Muani at the end of extra time to take the game to penalties
“We suffered a lot. We thought we were in control but they managed to come back,” he added.
“It was a very complicated game. Our destiny was to suffer.
“They had one last chance to win [Kolo Muani’s late shot]. Luckily I was able to stop it with my foot.
“This is a moment I’ve always dreamed of, I have no words for it. I went to England very young and I want to dedicate this win to my family.”