Emiliano Martinez details tough return from World Cup; speaks about staying in bed for 14-15 hours

“I returned to Great Britain and slept 14-15 hours a night. I only needed 7-8 hours of sleep. That’s when I saw how much adrenaline… what it cost me to return,” explained the Aston Villa goalkeeper in an interview to Sky Sports.

Since those performances at the World Cup, Martinez’s stock has steadily risen. There are reports that clubs like Inter Milan, Juventus and Tottenham are chasing his signature while the goalkeeper himself now holds the goal of winning a Champions League.

“At various times I thought that I was not good enough and that I was not going to be the goalkeeper that I always dreamed of being. I always had the talent from a very young age and I came to one of the biggest clubs in England. To have a successful career and to be Argentina’s number 1, that was my goal. I never dreamed of winning the World Cup or the Champions League.”

Despite the upward tick in his career, Martinez’s relationship with Aston Villa coach Unai Emery is not at its best at the moment. Emery was critical of Martinez recently after the goalkeeper went forward late in injury time when his team was down 3-2 to Arsenal and then was not in position when Arsenal scored their fourth.

“Today I am very disappointed and it is embarrassing for me, the last goal. Because I never told my goalkeeper to go to a corner to score a goal. It is not the spirit, we have to keep our mind clear and smart,” said Emery to BBC Sport after the match.

Emery continued the rant against Martinez and added, “But then on the pitch after scoring first we were thinking when will the match finish. You have to play 90 minutes. I never told my goalkeeper to do it. But today he decided it was his decision. He was not doing something about my decision because I didn’t tell him, but now he knows. He knows now.”