When Jamie Carragher heard the rumour about Emiliano Martinez, the custodian for Aston Villa, he was shocked. When talking about the goalie, the former defender turned pundit even disagreed with one of the best goalkeepers in Premier League history.
Gary Neville questioned Martinez’s reasoning when he made the error that allowed Bernardo Silva’s feeble shot to enter the back of the net during Villa’s 2-1 loss to Champions League rivals Manchester City in the most recent episode of The Overlap.
Carragher immediately interrupted the discussion to mention another ‘keeper’ that Martinez is ‘nowhere near’, after initially challenging some of the views he had heard about the Argentina international. The other panellists fuelled the flames, but the Sky Sports analyst refused to back down.
Emi Martinez is the carer. “Please stop saying that.” “Not the Best in the World”
Martinez has risen to the point where he may now be considered among the top goalkeepers in football. His path from being relegated to Arsenal’s reserves to winning the World Cup as Argentina’s starting goalie and winning the Champions League with Aston Villa has been amazing.
However, the incredibly high view that some people have of the Villa number one pushed Carragher into a tirade. “Why do people keep saying Emi Martinez is the best goalie in the world?” he posed to the other panellists.
The retired defender then went on to claim: “He’s not the best goaltender in the world. He earns the world goalie of the year award. I think he has actually won a trophy,” before Roy Keane stepped in to add: “Peter Schmeichel stated he was the best in the world.”
This sent Carragher further into bafflement, as he hastily brushed aside the concept that Schmeichel rates the Villans’ shot-stopper above everyone else. He promptly responded:
“He wouldn’t be playing for Aston Villa if he was the best goalie in the world. He just wouldn’t be. I don’t care if Peter Schmeichel likes him.”
Admitting that Martinez is among the finest goalkeepers in the English top-flight currently, Carragher said that he doesn’t think the 32-year-old is anywhere near the level of Liverpool number one, Alisson Becker: “He’s in the top three or four goalies in the Premier League. He’s nowhere near Alisson.”
Keane was in the mood to wind up his colleague, and drove Neville and Ian Wright into giggles by joking: “I think he’s the greatest… ever.” Carragher, however, was still having none of it, and demanded people stop proclaiming Martinez as the world’s best: “Please stop saying that.” Watch the debate in the following video, which begins at 20:27:
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