Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has made a sad announcement about Lionel Messi. Martinez recently traveled to the Indian subcontinent where he visited Bangladesh and India. Martinez was on his first trip to Asia after witnessing the overwhelming support for Argentina from the fans of the two countries during the World Cup 2022.
Emiliano Martinez’s visit to India was facilitated by a sports promoter hailing from West Bengal. The promoter, Satadru Dutta, had also previously brought soccer legends like Pele and Diego Maradona to India. Martinez initially traveled to Bangladesh before visiting India. The Aston Villa goalkeeper stayed for three days in Kolkata, West Bengal where he made multiple appearances.
Kolkata 😍🇮🇳🇦🇷❤️ pic.twitter.com/ayKiMdaCnI
— Emi Martínez (@emimartinezz1) July 6, 2023
Emi Martinez also appeared in a chat show called “Tahader Kotha” where he discussed different topics at length. During the chat show, Martinez was asked to give his opinion on who could replace Lionel Messi in the future. To which, Martinez replied, “Messi is the best player ever, and there will be no Messi in the future. It will be hard to replace him. I hope to win the next Copa America with him.”
Emi Martinez believes it will be hard for anyone to ever match Leo Messi 🐐 pic.twitter.com/WYyNE9nuvc
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 7, 2023
Martinez also talked about his future aspirations as he expressed his desire to win the Copa America 2024 and the World Cup 2026. He also spoke about his experience of losing the first match against Saudi Arabia in the opening fixture of the World Cup 2022. However, he praised the Argentine team’s mentality, calling them a “mentality monster“, and also highlighted Messi‘s significance in the team.
Emi Martinez gives his opinion on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate
During the chat show, Emi Martinez was also asked to give his opinion on the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate. Martinez remained loyal to his national team skipper and promptly answered Messi. Martinez’s answer brought on a huge cheer from the hundreds of fans gathered there. However, unsatisfied with Martinez’s answer, the interviewer asked him, “Not Ronaldo?“
To which, Emi Martinez rather cheekily replied, “He [Messi] completed football, so…” The 30-year-old keeper has always been a staunch supporter of Lionel Messi. He expressed his love for the Inter Miami star in an interview after winning the Copa America 2021. He said, “I want to give him life, I want to die for him. I got much better [with Aston Villa] but with the national team, I got better by 10% or 15%.“
Emi Martínez last year: “I want to give Leo Messi life. I want to die for him.”
And he has done it again! pic.twitter.com/2ULsXZIRLu
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) December 9, 2022
He also made a Japanese anime reference and said, “You know when you watch Dragon Ball Z as a kid? I’m Vegeta and when I played with Messi, I turned into Super Saiyan.” Moreover, Emi Martinez also made a promise to the Indian fans during a later public appearance. The former Arsenal star vowed to bring Lionel Messi to play in India.
