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Emiliano Martínez says he had to leave Aston Villa for Chelsea in the summer window to overcome the disappointment of losing the World Cup final to Spain in July.
The goalkeeper joined Aston Villa from Arsenal in 2020 and was their No.1 until the end of last season.
His performances for the Villans helped him make a debut for Argentina a year later. The Chelsea summer signing has won the Copa América twice and the World Cup in 2022.
He had come close to winning the World Cup again before Spain stopped La Albiceleste in the final in July. Paris Saint-Germain’s Ferran Torres scored in the extra time to help La Roja secure a 1-0 win.
Late move to Chelsea
The former Gunners man kept 80 clean sheets and conceded 305 goals from 256 matches for Aston Villa. In May, he fractured his finger during the warmup and played the full 90 minutes in their Europa League final win over SC Freiburg.
Emiliano Martínez refused to undergo surgery so he could represent his national team at the World Cup. This was the reason Juventus didn’t sign him, and it then opened the door for Xabi Alonso’s side.
On August 30th, Chelsea completed his signing from Aston Villa. The stopper has made four appearances for the Blues, conceding 10 goals so far. During this break, he kept two clean sheets in friendly wins over Bolivia and Burkina Faso.
At the weekend, the Argentina international spoke to the media from his country and TyC Sports have relayed his comments.
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Every Chelsea signing 26/27 Previous Club Fee
Morgan Rogers Aston Villa £120m
Maxence Lacroix Crystal Palace £52m
Geovany Quenda Sporting £41.5m
Marco Palestra Atalanta £47m
Valentin Barco RC Strasbourg £34m
Pep Chavarría Rayo Vallecano £17m
Emiliano Martínez Aston Villa £7.8m
Danny Welbeck Brighton £5.1m
Jordan Henderson Brentford Free
Happy leaving Aston Villa for Chelsea
After the World Cup final defeat to Spain, the 34-year-old had hinted about retiring from the national team.
Emiliano Martínez didn’t, and when asked about it now, he said: “It took me a while to think; losing the World Cup final hurt a lot.”
“I tried changing clubs to mentally refresh myself, and I succeeded. I came here, and it was the best thing I did because I feel useful, fast, and good. In the end, I have to represent my country, my family, and I have to do my best.”
The South American saw Chelsea secure a 4-3 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on his Blues debut. That has been the only success with his new club, who lost two of their last three league matches.
He’s preparing for Lionel Messi’s Argentina farewell against Benin on Tuesday. Regarding this clash, Martínez explained: “We’ll try to make sure he enjoys it as much as possible. We’ll shower him with affection and kisses and make him happy.
“I tried to help him as much as I could. He knows it, we always talk about it. It was one of the greatest honours of my career, trying to help him achieve what he desperately wanted because he’s the best player in history, and I feel like I’m part of that, thank God. On Tuesday, I want to see him enjoying himself and smiling.”
Sport Witness