"That’s a sad thing" - Former France striker slams Emiliano Martinez for FIFA World Cup antics

Former France striker Louis Saha has slammed Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for his antics in the aftermath of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday (December 18).

Argentina won the FIFA World Cup, thanks to Martinez's heroics, in a 4-2 penalty shootout win over Les Bleus following a pulsating 3-3 draw after 120 minutes. Martinez, 30, was awarded the Golden Glove for his exploits during the tournament.

He controversially celebrated by lowering the trophy towards his groin and thrusting it towards the crowd at the Lusail Stadium.

Saha has condemned Martinez for his celebrations and reckons he will be remembered for his antics rather than his performances, telling Paddy Power:

"Emiliano Martinez’s antics are going to be remembered for a long time and that’s a sad thing."

The former France international also talked about the successful FIFA World Cup campaign Martinez had. The Aston Villa shot-stopper made seven appearances, keeping three clean sheets. Saha continued:

"He had a great tournament, and he didn’t need to do it. It was more about his adrenaline and some people do things without thinking and just instinctively do something they’ll regret."

Martinez has claimed that his actions resulted from being booed by French fans. However, Saha added that a lack of apology from him is sad and has taken away from the campaign he had with Argentina in Qatar:

"I haven’t seen or heard any apology from him for his actions, but it’s sad because the conversation takes away from the great World Cup he had. It doesn’t help anything, and I don’t know what he was trying to say by doing it – it was really quite awkward."

Martinez pulled off a superb save to deny Randal Kolo Muani late on before denying Kingsley Coman in the shootout.

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France striker Karim Benzema retires from international football after missing 2022 FIFA World Cup

Benzema will no longer play for France.

France forward Benzema, 35, has announced his retirement from international football after a thigh injury ruled him out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Real Madrid captain was named in Didier Deschamps' 26-man squad for the tournament. However, Benzema suffered a thigh injury in a pre-tournament training session and was subsequently sidelined for the competition.

Reports claim that the veteran striker has a broken relationship with the national team and that he has cut ties with the French camp.

He returned to the France team for the 2020 European Championships last year after a six-year absence due to allegations of blackmail. The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner earned 97 international caps, scoring 37 goals and providing 20 assists.