“It was a dream” – FIFA World Cup winner Emi Martinez delights after landing in India

2022 FIFA World Cup winner Emi Martinez revealed he was very happy after he landed in India on Monday, July 3.

India has a lot of football fans and it is well-known that many religiously supported Argentina and Lionel Messi as they claimed World Cup glory. Martinez played a key role in this, making a series of exceptional saves in the penalty shootout of the finals against France.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, for a two-day visit. The 30-year-old is scheduled to take part in meet-and-greets and interact with children at Santosh Mitra Square. He will also be at the Mohun Bagan Club for the inauguration of gates named after football legends such as Pele and Diego Maradona.

After arriving in Kolkata, Emi Martinez told reporters (via Indian Express):

“I am really excited, feeling great. It was a dream (coming to India). I had promised to come to India, I am happy to be here.”

His visit to India was orchestrated by sports promoter Satadru Dutta. The latter spoke on Martinez's visit:

“Martinez is aware that Argentina has a huge fan following in the Indian subcontinent. He thought Kolkata meant Bangladesh. So clarity had to be given that though they speak the same language, one is a country, and the other a city in a state. The common denominator between the two is football and the massive fan following for Argentina and Brazil.”

---

"When it goes to penalties, it's a different game" - Emi Martinez on penalty antics after World Cup win

Emi Martinez has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, especially when it comes to penalties. The Argentine star is known for his antics, which involve winding up his opponents and the crowd, as well as dancing to put his opponents off.

This was seen in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final as he helped Argentina beat France 4-2 in the penalty shootout. Martinez was able to get in the head of Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman as both missed their spot-kicks.

Emi Martinez explained why he does this in an exclusive with GOAL back in March:

“When it goes to penalties, it’s a different game. It’s me against the striker, and me against the [other] goalie."

"Imagine for them in a World Cup quarter-final or final, and we are leading by two penalties. The one who is going to take the next one, the pressure comes right down."

He added:

"That’s what I try to do as a goalkeeper, generate pressure and remove pressure. Normally, we never have pressure. But when the other goalkeeper saves a penalty, and he starts to dance and jump up and down, it brings you down a little bit. That’s what I try to generate.”

Unfortunately for him, UEFA is set to alter penalty shootout rules. Goalkeepers will reportedly no longer be allowed to distract players taking a penalty.