Crystal Palace boss and former France international Patrick Vieira believes Emiliano Martinez's "stupid" celebrations "took away" from Argentina's World Cup success.
Martinez was the hero in Argentina’s remarkable final victory over France thanks to a stunning last-gasp stop to deny striker Randal Kolo Muani in the closing minute of extra time before saving Kingsley Coman’s penalty in the shootout as Argentina won the trophy.
In the minutes after Argentina’s World Cup triumph was confirmed, the Aston Villa goalkeeper appeared to be winning graciously and comforted a disconsolate Kylian Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain striker netted a stunning hat-trick as he beat Lionel Messi to win the Golden Boot, scoring twice inside two minutes of normal time before scoring another penalty in extra time to once again equalise. He also found the net in the shootout.
However, Martinez’s attitude quickly shifted from apparent humble winner to gloating champion. The goalkeeper, 30, made more headlines after the match when he celebrated his Golden Glove award win with a lewd gesture in front of Qatari officials before he took aim at Mbappe during Argentina's rowdy dressing room celebrations.
The post-match fallout came after the two had clashed with a war of words in the build-up to the tournament and the final. The duo had a seemingly long-running feud which has continued with Martinez’s prolonged mocking of Mbappe after the final – which many have criticised as lacking in class.
Palace boss Vieira, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, is the latest to take aim at the former Arsenal shot-stopper. The former Gunners captain has hit out at the manner of Martinez’s celebrations and claimed that they have played a role in the abuse Mbappe received in the aftermath of the final.
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“When you are talking about the abuse and the comments that he [Mbappe] received after the World Cup, I think that is damaging the game and himself,” Vieira told a press conference. “Some of the pictures that I saw from the Argentina goalkeeper took away a little bit from what Argentina achieved at the World Cup.
“I don’t think that they really needed that. You can’t control sometimes people’s emotions or decisions, but that was a stupid decision from Martinez to do that.”
Mbappe received abuse in the stadium and also online from trolls in the aftermath of the final. “I was really disappointed because I heard the same songs as you,” Vieira added. “I want to have a picture of the Argentina fans with the passion and the love they showed during those games. Of course, they won the World Cup, but in the stands, they were the best as well.
“I want to keep that in my mind and not think about those stupid fans who put some darkness on top of what Argentina achieved on and off the field. This is the dark side of the Argentina World Cup [win].”
