If anyone didn’t know Emiliano Martinez played for Arsenal, one might think he’s different from the one who turns out for Argentina or Aston Villa, as the goalkeeper has developed into one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the past few years. On top of that, he became a World Cup winner last year when Argentina lifted the trophy in Qatar.
The Argentine goalkeeper does not hold back from using all the tricks he has up his sleeves to keep the ball out of his net, which has worked for him. Emiliano Martinez has now broken the record for the longest amount of time without conceding a goal for Argentina – 622 minutes.
Emiliano Martinez breaks record for longest clean sheet
Emiliano Martinez came through the youth ranks at Arsenal but never got a chance to become a regular for the first team, which forced him to finally leave the club in 2020 to join Aston Villa permanently. The Argentine goalkeeper has now played over 115 games for Villa, and his consistent performance with the club led to his first international appearance in 2021.
He has since been Argentina’s undisputed number-one keeper, winning the Copa America in 2021 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022. What’s most amazing about Martinez’s international career is that the World Cup final in December 2022 was the last time he conceded a goal for Argentina. The Lionel Messi-led team has played seven international games since then, scoring 18 goals and conceding none, thanks to Martinez’s presence in goal.
These fixtures include three World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay, complemented by four international friendlies featuring Panama, Australia, Curacao, and Indonesia. This is the longest time an Argentine goalkeeper has gone without conceding a goal.
Even in the absence of Lionel Messi against Bolivia due to injury, Argentina still cruised to a 3-0 win. Argentina have one more qualifying match to play against Peru before the international break ends, giving Martinez the chance to extend his record further.
When did Emiliano Martinez last concede a goal?
France and Argentina delivered an unforgettable World Cup final when they clashed in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup championship. With Lionel Messi’s mesmerizing performance for Argentina and Kylian Mbappe’s dazzling skills for France, Mbappe was the last to breach Emiliano Martinez’s defenses. Remarkably, Martinez has remained unbeaten ever since.
Mbappe, who is the soccer icon of Keiran Trippier’s son, scored a hat-trick in the 3-3 showdown in the final. Sadly, this wasn’t enough as France lost 4-2 to Lionel Messi’s Argentina, giving the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner the only trophy that had been missing in his cabinet all his life.
Can Emiliano Martinez keep a clean sheet in Argentina’s next qualifier against Peru?
