Martínez reveals: “I played Call of Duty before the World Cup final with France”
The Argentine goalkeeper explained that he was not nervous for this decisive game and made other revelations, even stating that he will retire if Argentina wins the World Cup again, in 2026
Emiliano Martínez has become one of Argentina ‘s leading figures in recent years and was a key player in winning the 2022 World Cup . The goalkeeper gave an interview to BPlay and even revealed that, if he wins the World Cup again, in 2026, he will retire from the national team.
“If we win two World Cups in a row, it’s over, I’ll retire from the national team. We have to make room for other young players,” he began by saying, stating that the celebration would not be the same. “Something like this will never happen again. We all saw Argentina win the World Cup. I hadn’t seen it. A 7-year-old kid already knows what he experienced. We’ll be happy and celebrate, but not like the last time,” he said.
The Aston Villa player recalled that legendary final against France , decided on penalties, and assured that he was not nervous before kick-off. «I played Call of Duty with my friends before the World Cup final against France , from the moment I had my snack until the technical talk», he said.
One of the highlights of the game was the spectacular save from Kolo Muani ‘s shot , in a one-on-one, which prevented the French from winning again, but Martínez suffered because of it. «I had three months of insomnia after the save against Kolo Muani . Everyone says: ‘Oh, that’s good’. Yes, but what if it had gone in? I don’t want to repeat that», he explained.
“I work with my psychologist. I am a world champion, I have won four Golden Gloves, two The Best and two Yashin for the best goalkeeper in the world. I am looking for something to improve. I lack things that make me strive to continue fighting against myself. Today, it is Dibu against Dibu. I managed to reach the top and… how do you fight against that?” he asked himself.
“It’s difficult to get to the top and when you get there you say… ‘what do I do now?’ The best example is Messi . He’s still fighting after winning the Ballon d’Or at 37,” he concluded.
