While Messi won The Best Player Award, Emiliano Martinez won the Best Goalkeeper award, and Lionel Scaloni won the Best Men’s Coach award for their dream contribution to winning the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
Emi Martinez named as Best keeper by FIFA in 2022
Also, the Argentinian fans won the newly introduced award of best fans for the same. Argentina became the first country to achieve such a heroic feat and 4 The Best awards in the same year. Martinez thanked his parents calling them his idols, Aston Villa FC and the Argentinians after receiving the award.
Along with Martinez, Morroco international and Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou, Belgium international and Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois were the nominees for the category.
But after proving to be a solid shot-stopper and a penalty saver in Argentina’s Copa America win in 2021, Aston Villa goalkeeper did the same in the 2022 Fifa World cup which won him the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Argentina’s road to victory wasn’t easy
Every player needed to step up behind Messi after a vital blow in their opening game against Saudi Arabia. Argentina then won against Mexico and Poland 2-0, going on to the round of 16, defeating Australia 2-1.
The quarter-final was another big test for Argentina and Martinez as the game went on to the penalty shootout after late goals from Wout Weghorst in the dying minutes.
Martinez made the opening save from Virgil van Dijk’s shot in the penalty shootout and another save from Steven Berghuis’s shot, leading Argentina to the Semis.
After reaching comfortably the finals, it was 3-3 and during the extra time, Martinez produced a vital jaw-dropping save in the 123rd minute, even to which some called the save of the century, preventing Randal Kolo Muani from scoring one on one after a lofted ball from Konate and then saving Kingsley Coman’s shot in the penalty shootout surely proved to be a major impact for Argentina to win the World Cup.
