The Ballon d’Or ceremony proved to be quite eventful for Emiliano Martinez, the Aston Villa goalkeeper. Despite facing a barrage of loud jeers from the Parisian crowd, Martinez openly praised his award and his iconic teammate, Lionel Messi.

Martinez earned the Yashin Trophy, an acknowledgement of his exceptional performance as the world’s best goalkeeper following his remarkable feats with Argentina during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. As anticipated, Messi, his celebrated international comrade, secured the top accolade, marking his eighth time as the planet’s top player, a record-extending achievement.

Nonetheless, while the Inter Miami star received a warm welcome from the audience, it appeared that the French public had not forgotten Martinez’s behaviour in the aftermath of the final in the Middle East. Besides using his Golden Glove trophy for inappropriate gestures, the 31-year-old was caught on camera openly mocking Kylian Mbappe during the celebrations.

This happened despite the fact that Mbappe had undoubtedly won the personal battle between the two players before Argentina eventually triumphed in a penalty shootout. Trailing 2-0, Mbappe forced extra time by converting a penalty past Martinez and then equalized with a crisp volley.

He later netted a second penalty, levelling the score at 3-3.

During the shootout, he defeated Martinez for a third time from the penalty spot. Martinez’s post-match conduct also caught the attention of his club manager, Unai Emery, who pledged to address the matter when the goalkeeper returned to England.

Eleven months later, as Martinez arrived at the Theatre du Chatelet with his wife Amanda Gama, he was greeted by a chorus of boos from fans gathered outside. During the ceremony, the host, Didier Drogba, had to intervene and call for “respect” from certain sections of the audience, who were also taunting Martinez with remarks about Mbappe.

Nevertheless, Martinez remained steadfast in his response. He took to social media to express his pride in his award and commended the 36-year-old Messi for once again elevating Argentina to the pinnacle of international football.

Martinez wrote on Instagram, “An unforgettable day for me, my family and the people of Argentina. Congratulations @leomessi for putting Argentina on the top again. #yashin #ballondor.”

In the Ballon d’Or rankings, Martinez himself finished 15th, with another international teammate, Man City’s Julian Alvarez, securing the seventh position. Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez was the only other compatriot listed in the final 30, finishing in 20th place.

 

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Emiliano Martínez

This season he played in total 9 times for 810 minutes for Premier League.

He made 24 saves and conceded 13 goals. He received 2 yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 5th in Premier League. In the last match Aston Villa won 3-1 against Luton Town.

Aston Villa performance and stats

Aston Villa is currently 5th in the Premier League with 22 points.

In the last 10 games, it has won 7 times, drawn once, and lost twice. In its last match, Aston Villa won 3-1 against Luton Town.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 26 goals and conceding 14.​

Aston Villa will play the next match in Premier League against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 4th of November in Nottingham. The prediction is Aston Villa winning the match.​

Lionel Messi

This season he played in total 6 times for 372 minutes for Major League Soccer.

Lionel Messi scored 1 goal for Inter Miami. He procured twice assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 14th in Major League Soccer. In the last match Inter Miami lost 1-0 against Charlotte.

Inter Miami performance and stats

Inter Miami is currently 14th in the Major League Soccer with 34 points.

In the last 34 games, it has won 9 times, drawn 7 times, and lost 18 times. In its last match, Inter Miami lost 1-0 against Charlotte.​​

It has a negative goal difference after scoring 41 goals and conceding 54.​