Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has confirmed he will have words with Emiliano Martinez as his World Cup celebrations continue to cause a stir.
The Argentine goalkeeper will miss Villa's Boxing Day clash with Liverpool as he revels in Argentina’s triumph back in South America. Martinez played a key role in the final last weekend as his penalty shootout mind games helped La Albiceleste to their third world crown.
He has continued to make headlines thanks to his trolling of France superstar Kylian Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain forward actually beat the Villa keeper four times during the game, including his spot kick in the shootout.
But after engaging in a war of words before kick-off, Martinez has made it his own personal mission to rub Argentina’s win in Mbappe’s face. Having initially consoled the 24-year-old on the pitch, the former Arsenal star sarcastically asked for a minute’s silence for the forward when back in the dressing room.
He then celebrated with a doll of Mbappe during the jubilant scenes in Buenos Aires, with the president of the French Football Federation forced to lodge an official complaint.
"I wrote to my counterpart from the Argentine Federation, I find these excesses abnormal, in the context of a sports competition,” Noel Le Graet said. "I find it difficult to understand. This is going too far. Mbappé's behaviour has been exemplary."
In the latest update, Emery has suggested he will discuss the incidents with his player when he does decide to return to the Midlands. “When you have big emotions, it is sometimes difficult to control them,” Emery explained.
“I will speak with him (Martinez) next week about some celebrations, but I respect that he is now with his national team. When he’s with us, under our responsibility, we can speak about it.”
However, it is likely a ticking off will be down the agenda, with the new Villa manager heaping praise on his player for his performances during Argentina’s success. Emery added: “We are so proud of him. He won the World Cup with his national team and it’s amazing. Fans of Aston Villa must be very proud of him.
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“He’s coming back next week. I want him to rest now because after big emotion and hard work, he has to have some days off to rest then he’ll come back to work with us. For me, as a coach, I knew him in Arsenal before when I worked with him. I’m so happy to be here and working with him again.”
Martinez’s namesake and compatriot Emiliano Buendia missed out on Lionel Scaloni’s world-conquering squad, but Emery insists he has a big part to play in his own ambitious plans.
“Emi [Buendia] is a very good player and he has a big challenge with Aston Villa,” he continued. “He is very competitive and we can share our work together.
“Every fan must enjoy with him - his position is similar to [Lionel] Messi but they are different. They are both Argentine but they are different. We want the best from him and he is working hard to do it."
