Arsenal icon Patrick Vieira recently expressed his belief that Arsenal made a significant mistake when they casually let go of Emiliano Martinez for just £17 million. This decision appears to have come back to haunt them, as Martinez has achieved a remarkable feat by outperforming two of Arsenal’s brightest stars, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings.
Martinez’s journey since leaving Arsenal has been nothing short of remarkable. He made the switch to Aston Villa, where he quickly established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper. In his debut season at Villa, Martinez played a pivotal role in securing 14 clean sheets, which was instrumental in the club’s return to European competitions. But perhaps his most significant success was on the international stage, where he solidified his position as Argentina’s undisputed number one goalkeeper and played a crucial role in their 2022 World Cup victory in Qatar.
The culmination of these achievements led to Martinez being ranked 15th in the 2023 Ballon d’Or rankings, a remarkable feat for a goalkeeper. This position was even higher than his former Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka, who found himself in the 24th spot. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s captain, Martin Odegaard, came in at 28th place. Odegaard had an impressive season, scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists, but Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title under manager Mikel Arteta.
Martinez’s rise to prominence has been a compelling story. During his time at Arsenal, he often struggled to secure the number one goalkeeper position and spent several spells out on loan. However, his decision to join Aston Villa changed the trajectory of his career. Villa provided him with the platform to showcase his talents, and he did so in remarkable fashion. His penalty-saving heroics and stoppage-time saves during the World Cup have etched his name into the annals of Argentinian football history.
Patrick Vieira’s criticism of Arsenal’s handling of Martinez’s departure is not without merit. The decision to part ways with the talented goalkeeper for a relatively modest fee now appears shortsighted, given his rise to international and club stardom. Arsenal fans may be left wondering what could have been if Martinez had been retained and given a more prominent role within the team.
