Emiliano Martínez
Damián Emiliano Martínez Romero (born 2 September 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Argentina national team. Throughout his career, he has gained a reputation for specializing in penalty shoot-outs and saving penalty kicks.
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Martínez with Arsenal in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Damián Emiliano Martínez Romero | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 2 September 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mar del Plata, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Independiente | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2020 | Arsenal | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | → Oxford United (loan) | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | → Rotherham United (loan) | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Getafe (loan) | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | → Reading (loan) | 18 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | Aston Villa | 141 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Argentina U17 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Argentina U20 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Argentina | 37 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:18, 14 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:57, 23 March 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Martínez trained at Independiente's youth ranks before moving to Premier League club Arsenal in 2010. At Arsenal, he initially served as understudy, being loaned to various clubs, before breaking into the starting line-up in 2019, featuring in the Premier League and helping the club win a FA Cup and FA Community Shield. In September 2020, Martínez moved to fellow Premier League club Aston Villa in a transfer worth £20 million. In his first season at the club, he kept a club-record fifteen clean sheets in the Premier League.
Martínez represented Argentina in junior international matches from 2009 to 2011, playing on under-17 and under-20 levels. He earned his first senior cap for the Argentina national team in 2021, helping his nation win the 2021 Copa América, receiving the Golden Glove award and keeping a clean sheet in the final. Martínez went on to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he also won the best goalkeeper of the tournament, the Golden Glove, for his performances. For these achievements, he was also named The Best FIFA Goalkeeper in 2022 and received the Yashin Trophy in 2023.