Back
Italian football legend Alessandro Del Piero has poured out his praise for one of Aston Villa's most important players after their midweek Champions League draw with Juventus.
Unai Emery's side were denied all three points at the death on Wednesday thanks to a controversial VAR decision, but it could have been a different story had it not been for goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez pulling off one of the saves of the season to deny the Old Lady earlier on.
Martínez clawed the ball off the goal line to stop Juve scoring at Villa Park, with goal line technology showing that the ball was mere centimetres away from crossing the line.
Since then, the World Cup winner has been nominated for the FIFA Best men's goalkeeper award 2024, an accolade that he won back in 2022 following his heroics for Argentina in Qatar.
Juventus hero Del Piero, who made over 700 appearances for the club, spoke highly of Martínez to Sky Italia after the European fixture in midweek.
"“I have to say that it was an open match," declared the 50-year-old former forward. "Aston Villa perhaps tried to keep control of the game more because they play this type of game.
“So, [Villa] gave the impression of holding the field a little better. Juve, from the point of view of compactness and unity, took the right risks. They also risked scoring [but] Martinez made an incredible save.
“So, basically, it’s a draw that’s fair in this match.”
Martínez is up against a host of quality shot-stoppers in his bid to win the award for a second time, Premier League and European stars alike. The 32-year-old makes up the Premier League nominees alongside Arsenal's David Raya and Manchester City's Ederson, with PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma, Real Madrid's Andriy Lunin, AC Milan's Mike Maignan, and Unai Simon of Athletic Bilbao also all in contention.
Martínez's teammate Ollie Watkins has been included alongside the Argentinian in the list of 77 players to choose from for the FIFA Best XI.
The date of the awards ceremony has to be confirmed.
Keep warm on the sidelines
There's plenty of deals to keep you warm from head to toe on match day.
We've found heated clothing like gloves, gilets and hats, plus foot warmers and a simple thermal beanie that'll help you beat the winter weather.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Football Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Football Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.