Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez arrived in India on July 3 (Monday) and was welcome in a grand style. The Argentine shot-stopper landed in Kolkata, a city renowned for its love for football. Upon arrival, the Golden Glove winner displayed his love for India and, on July 4 (Tuesday), Martinez attended a couple of events in the 'City of Joy'.
The Argentina goalkeeper was felicitated by Mohun Bagan and East Bengal clubs on the sidelines of a chat show 'Tahader Katha' at the Milan Mela ground, where he made some interesting statements.
When quizzed about his future goals, Martinez was quick to remind everyone of his stacked resume already but his hunger has no bounds. The Argentina goalkeeper wants to win as many international tournaments in the future including another Copa America triumph and World Cup victory.
"We won everything there was to win, Copa America, 2022 Finalissima against Italy and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. But it does not end there. We want to win the next Copa America and the next FIFA World Cup as well," he said on chat show 'Tahader Katha'
Martinez then delved into the World Cup and spoke about how everyone on the team was dejected after losing the first game of the competition against Saudi Arabia. The goalkeeper then revealed how Messi galvanised the whole group and once Argentina defeated the Netherlands in the shootout, everyone on the team believed that the World Cup is theirs to win.
"It was my first defeat as an Argentine, and I was a bit sad. But we had the best player in the world in our team – Lionel Messi," he added.
"When we beat the Netherlands in the quarterfinal, we knew something special was about to happen. The game went to a shootout, and I backed myself because I was accustomed to this," the Argentina goalkeeper said.
When asked to choose between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two players who have defined this generation of football, Martinez was quick to side with his national team captain.
"He (Messi) completed football. He is the best," Martinez said without any hesitation.
“Messi is a born winner, he was born to win, and he used to talk before every game in the World Cup. In the final, he said – ‘Thank you for everything you have done for me.’ And we (other players in the team) all wanted to win it for him.
"But Messi is the best player ever, and there will be no Messi in the future. It will be hard to replace him. I hope to win the next Copa America with him," he concluded.
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