Emi Martinez has opened up about his extravagant celebrations after the 2022 World Cup final against France and Kylian Mbappe. He was involved in a situation where he was extremely disrespectful towards the French striker in the dressing room celebrations and also later in their home country.
He explained about his open-top bus parade antics. While standing beside Lionel Messi on the bus, Martinez held up a doll with the face of Mbappe stuck on it. Martinez said in an interview with Ole, “People threw a lot of dolls at us along the way, they threw almost a hundred at us during the journey.
Emi Martínez: “People threw a lot of dolls at us, they threw so many… A doll with Mbappé's face fell at my feet and it made me laugh. I grabbed it for two seconds and threw it back, that's all. How could I make fun of Mbappé If he scored 4 against me?” @FlorentTorchut 🗣️🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/X0o1VmuBqk
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) February 10, 2023
“At that moment a doll with Mbappe’s face fell at my feet, I picked it up because it made me laugh, I grabbed it for two seconds and threw it back, that’s all. How could I make fun of Mbappe?
“He scored four goals! Four goals in the final… He must think I’m his dummy! I repeat: I have enormous respect for Mbappe. I’ll even tell you one thing: he’s the best French player I’ve ever seen.”
“After the game, I told him that he could be proud of himself and keep his head up because he played a great game and was one of the best players in the world.”
“I also told him that it was a pleasure to play against him, that he almost won this final alone. He is a boy with immense talent. I realized facing him that he is different. When Leo leaves football, he will win many Ballons d’Or.”
Martinez was the hero of the Argentina team in the final. Argentina defeated France 3(4)-3(2) on penalty shootouts. Mbappe scored a hattrick while Messi scored a brace as the Paris Saint-Germain players starred in the final.
Emi Martinez explains the dressing room celebrations regarding Kylian Mbappe
Martinez was one of the first people to go and comfort Mbappe after his heartbreaking loss in the final.
He said, “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
“Throughout my career, I’ve grown up with the French and I’ve never had the slightest problem. You can ask [former Arsenal club-mate Olivier] Giroud what kind of person I am. I really like the French culture and mentality.”
Emi Martínez on the chants about Mbappé:
“The locker room thing is a locker room thing. When France beat us in 2018, there were chants about Messi. If a team beats Brazil, they will sing about Neymar. I’ve nothing personal against Mbappé. I respect him enormously…” pic.twitter.com/JUzoiHwZ1z
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) February 10, 2023
“The locker room thing should never have come out. When France beat us in 2018, I remember there were songs about [Lionel] Messi. If a team beats Brazil, they will sing about Neymar. There is nothing personal against Mbappe. I respect him enormously. If we sing about him or about Neymar, it is because they are the best.”
Martinez was one of the heroes of the Argentina team, however, his antics after the game have created controversy. FIFA is investigating him and Argentina for code violations. He has also recently explained his lewd gesture with the Golden Glove trophy.