Emiliano Martínez, the goalkeeper of the Argentine national team, revealed his stance on retiring from international play if the Tango team wins the World Cup title for the second consecutive time and the fourth time in its history.
Emiliano Martínez, along with the rest of the Argentine players, is preparing for the anticipated World Cup final against Spain, which will be played tomorrow, Sunday.
Emiliano Martínez confirmed that he is only thinking about the final match at the moment, postponing the idea of retirement to a later time.
Martínez said during the press conference for the match, which was reported by the newspaper "infobae": "First, we have to win, I am not thinking about anything else, this improvement is the result of collective effort, we have built something over the years that is hard to describe in words, sometimes I cry just thinking about what we have achieved, I am very grateful to life and to my family, only moments of joy remain, we have to enjoy the current moment, because a professional footballer does not always realize his position in the team, things may go well or badly, but we have to enjoy the moment because it will stay with us throughout our lives".
Regarding his feelings before facing Spain, he added: "It is strange, it was destined for us to play against them, we were ready to play in Qatar, and we were excited to return to Lusail, we played two friendly matches in Argentina that we did not expect, but we enjoyed them with our fans, no matter who the opponent is, playing in a World Cup final has a different taste".
He explained: "The last match against England was the second most enjoyable match in my career with the national team, because we played the semi-final in front of the fans, and because of the history of that match, winning it once is difficult, but getting the fourth star, I imagine the celebrations, the travel, and enjoying with the fans, and God willing, I imagine that happening".
He continued: "People express their opinions about our opponents, but we do not choose them or determine their identity, Colombia dominated Portugal, Switzerland defeated Colombia, and our match against Switzerland was difficult, the weather was very hot, while the final match will be played on Sunday in very hot weather, we have to adapt to the conditions, play, and win, and I do not think there is another team that adapts to the conditions like us, the margin of error is very small, we made some defensive mistakes, but if you have strikers capable of scoring one or two goals, it is only about keeping a clean sheet to win".
Regarding Argentina's preparation for tomorrow's match, he continued: "I feel completely calm, if you see me in the penalty area, many think that the goalkeeper only saves shots, but it goes beyond that, it is the message I convey before entering the pitch, through my stance, and through how fierce I am in intercepting crosses, in the first 40 seconds, the English team pressed us hard, then they retreated and did not press me, these are football matters that reassure my teammates that I am calm, they are very special players, so I have to give them security in defense, my task is to try to help them and be with them when they need me, defensively, we have conceded fewer goals than we did in the last World Cup, so I am very much looking forward to keeping a clean sheet on Sunday".
Regarding the pressure about his hand injury in order to participate with Argentina in the World Cup, Emiliano continued: "I knew it would be very painful, I avoided surgery, all the hand surgery specialists I consulted confirmed that I needed it, I was unable to train with the team throughout the group stage, this affects me a lot because I love training, but I am no longer thinking about it, since the match against Egypt, I have been training normally and I feel much better".
He continued: "It is amazing to see this large number of goalkeepers in Argentina, Tocali has a school for training goalkeepers, and he told me that he has not seen this large number of players since it opened, it is wonderful, I always wish that parents choose their sons to be strikers instead of goalkeepers, but I hope there will be more, the position is very difficult, Argentina's goal always seems small with this large number of talented attacking players, they have to work hard, and I consider you an example of sacrifice and perseverance".
He said: "I have always considered myself the national team goalkeeper, because I played in the youth teams, and when I joined the senior team, it was not strange to me, I have lived this experience throughout my life. I have been training at the Argentine Football Association complex since I was 15 years old, for me, it is a lifetime journey with the national team, not just six years".
Martínez expressed his great love for the Argentine fans, adding: "We feel a deep belonging to the fans, through our behavior on the pitch, and through the meaning of being Argentine, and through letting our performance on the pitch speak for itself, not outside it, we come from humble backgrounds, and we have working-class parents, this great similarity with the group has helped us develop more".
Martínez returned to talking about his injury, explaining: "When they tell you after winning the final match while suffering from a broken finger that you need surgery and that you will miss the entire group stage, your head fills with questions, my preparation was different from the others' preparations, I am still talking to people about that, it is all in my head and does not affect me at all, I never want to be the star, in the Copa America, I was the star against Ecuador, I just have to be steady, against England, they pressed us in the first three minutes, but we entered the match calmly, and this calmness sometimes gives you much more than just saving a penalty".
He continued: "It does not matter to me not winning the best player award or not appearing on the front pages, what matters to me is the trust of the players and the coach in me, the coach sent me a message saying: no matter what your level is, I want you in my team, and this is much more important than saving ten penalties and appearing on the front page of the newspapers, if luck does not favor me and we win the final, the cup will be the same size and color, and we will return with it to Argentina".
Regarding the comparison between his level in the current World Cup edition and the previous edition in Qatar in 2022, Emiliano replied: "I feel proud, I am enjoying this tournament much more than the previous one, against Saudi Arabia, they only shot two balls and scored two goals, I saved only one shot against Mexico, and Poland did not shoot any ball at the goal, Australia shot two balls and scored one goal, the Netherlands shot two balls and scored two goals, did I play a more decisive role? And why? Only in the penalties, I play better with my feet, and my decisions are better than before, now all that remains is to enjoy, I will enter the pitch smiling on Sunday because many players cannot do that".
Regarding Spain, he concluded: "It is a great team, I know many of my teammates in this team, some of them play in the English Premier League, my teammate Pau Torres follows the Spanish league matches, they have an excellent coach who knows our team well, and it is not limited to Lamine Yamal only, but they have a wonderful group of players, they put in a great effort for the team, and they are a great team, they reached the final for a good reason, they have their strengths, and we have our strengths too, I hope it will be an unforgettable match for the fans".
