The World Cup is officially over, but there were some Premier League players that deserve some spotlight beyond the tournament.
For those already looking forward to the return of the Premier League, I suggest you first take a minute to appreciate what an incredible World Cup that was, especially the finale. The Premier League players that remained until the final will slowly trickle back to their respective team camps in the days to follow, so let’s look at who deserves some extra appreciation after this year’s World Cup.
1.) Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
During the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, Emi Martinez was merely a fan watching from the stands. This time around, he had the final say in a penalty shootout that saw him save one penalty, and play a mental part in Tchouameni missing his shot.
It’s worth remembering a special save in the dying moments of extra time to assure Argentina could get to penalties in the first place.
Lionel Messi might have won MOTM but this 120+3' save from Emiliano Martinez saved Argentina's World Cup 🇦🇷❤️ pic.twitter.com/R9Lh0oxhHR
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 18, 2022
It was a save in which the Premier League goalkeeper kept his cool until the dying moments, spread himself as wide as possible, and executed a brilliant kick save to keep the game at 3-3.
It wasn’t just his performance in the final that puts him on this list. He finished joint-top of the clean sheet list in the World Cup, with 3 to his name alongside Jordan Pickford and Yassine Bounou of Morocco. His heroics against the Netherlands in yet another penalty shootout added to his ongoing reputation as Argentina’s number-one goalkeeper. Albeit, he only snagged that title last year, which speaks to an incredible rise for a man with such a wild journey to becoming a World Cup winner.
His goalkeeping abilities aside, it would be hard to mention his name in this list without bringing up his mental strength and affecting that of his opponents. His mind games when it comes to penalties are hard to match, certainly unmatched in this World Cup. He would personally talk to the players, kick the ball away, and dance in a player’s face if he missed or the penalty was saved, it was pure sh*thousery.
If all that wasn’t enough, he accounted for one of the funniest photos in this World Cup, and maybe in any World Cup. The Aston Villa keeper did incredibly well representing his country, and the Premier League.