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The former MLS star and current NFL kicker has shared his positive outlook for the USMNT’s prospects at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup

• Aubrey highlights quality of current USMNT player generation
• Former Toronto FC defender mentions connection with Brenden Aaronson
• NFL kicker sets realistic expectations for tournament performance

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey recently discussed his thoughts on the USMNT's chances at the 2026 World Cup, expressing confidence in the team's potential while maintaining measured expectations. The 30-year-old previously played professional soccer with Toronto FC after being drafted by them before eventually retiring in 2018. He has since joined the NFL and Cowboys as a placekicker, and emphasized the strength of the current player pool and the significant advantage of playing on home soil.

  “I think they have a good shot,” Aubrey said on . “They have a lot of really good players, especially in the important positions. You’ve got Pulisic, anything could be possible with him. I played with Brenden Aaronson at Bethlehem Steel, so I’m a huge supporter of his. I want to see him get more minutes. I know he’s right on the cusp there coming off the bench a lot of times.

  “I love watching him. [Matt] Turner is another fun story, a convert from baseball. I like them, I think they have a shot of winning, especially with home-field advantage. I don’t think we can expect them to win, but I expect them to be out of the group and hopefully win that first knockout stage game.”

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• WHAT BRANDON AUBREY SAID

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Aubrey's career trajectory is incredible, going from a first-round MLS SuperDraft pick who struggled to establish himself in professional soccer to becoming one of the NFL's most accurate kickers with the Dallas Cowboys. His continued interest and insight into the national team highlights the interconnectedness of American sports culture and the growing prominence of soccer within it.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The USMNT will continue preparations for the 2026 World Cup under head coach Mauricio Pochettino and will come together in September next for international friendlies against South Korea and Japan.

Tahir finished with figures of 4-0-27-4, but his Smart Stats were even better, given the batsmen he dismissed and the time when he dismissed them

ESPNcricinfo stats team14-Apr-2019After 14 overs of Kolkata Knight Riderss’ innings, they were well placed at 121 for 3. Chris Lynn had just pasted Ravindra Jadeja for three successive sixes in the previous over – which had gone for 23 – and had motored along to 82 off 50, and with Andre Russell still to come, Knight Riders were on course to score around 190 or even more.Enter Imran Tahir. He had already done a double-wicket act earlier in the game, dismissing Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa in the 11th over. This time, he took out even bigger names, getting rid of both Lynn and Russell in the space of five deliveries, which eventually was instrumental in restricting Knight Riders to just 161.ESPNcricinfo LtdTahir finished with figures of 4-0-27-4, but his Smart Stats were even better. Given the batsmen he dismissed and the time when he dismissed them, Tahir’s four wickets were worth 5.4, which makes his haul the best of IPL 2019, in terms of Smart Wickets. That is because Smart Wickets takes into account three factors when calculating the value of a dismissal:- The quality of the batsman dismissed
– The batsman’s score at the time of the dismissal
– The state of the game at the time of the dismissalAlzarri Joseph’s six-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad was only worth 4.9 and is in second place, because his last three victims were Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddarth Kaul, and those wickets came when the match was almost in the bag.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn Tahir’s case, all four victims were top-class batsmen, and two of them – Uthappa and Russell – were dismissed very early in their innings, which gives his wickets more value (since dismissing a dangerous batsman early is always more beneficial to the fielding team).Among these four wickets, Russell’s was worth the most, at 1.65, followed by Uthappa (1.47), Lynn (1.18) and Rana (1.11). Add up those values, and Tahir’s wicket value becomes the highest of IPL 2019.

قرر أحد المرشحين على مقعد العضوية “فوق السن” في انتخابات مجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي المقبلة، الاعتذار رسميًا عن عدم استكمال مشوار الترشح.

وأعلن مجلس إدارة الأهلي اتخاذ كافة الإجراءات التي تيسر على أعضاء الجمعية العمومية حضور اجتماع الجمعية، المقرر لها يومي 30 و31 أكتوبر الجاري لانتخاب مجلس الإدارة الجديد.

وقرر أحمد مجدي الحيوان الاعتذار وعدم استكمال مهمة ترشحه لانتخابات عضوية مجلس إدارة النادي الأهلي فوق السن.

طالع | بوجود قائمة الخطيب كاملة.. مجلس الأهلي يعتمد أوراق المرشحين في انتخابات النادي

وتقدم لانتخابات القلعة الحمراء 16 مرشحًا، من بينهم قائمة محمود الخطيب، فيما يخوض باقي المرشحين السباق كمستقلين، على أن تُعقد الجمعية العمومية لاختيار مجلس الإدارة الجديد يومي 30 و31 أكتوبر الجاري.

وكانت منار سعيد المرشحة على عضوية مجلس الإدارة فوق السن، قد أعلنت انسحابها رسميًا من الانتخابات دعمًا لقائمة الكابتن محمود الخطيب، رئيس النادي الحالي، مؤكدة أن مصلحة الأهلي واستقراره تأتي فوق أي اعتبارات شخصية أو انتخابية. المرشحون في انتخابات الأهلي المقبلة

محمود الخطيب “مقعد الرئيس”

ياسين منصور “مقعد النائب”

خالد مرتجي “مقعد أمانة الصندوق”

وللعضوية فوق السن: “طارق قنديل – محمد الغزاوي – محمد الدماطي – محمد الجارحي – سيد عبد الحفيظ – أحمد حسام عوض – حازم هلال – حسن طنطاوي – أحمد شريف”.

وللعضوية تحت السن: “إبراهيم العامري – رويدا هشام”.

Wolverhampton Wanderers finished their 2024/25 season with a 1-1 draw against Brentford on Sunday.

This result meant the Old Gold finished 16th, 17 points clear of the relegation zone. Vitor Pereira’s opening few months have been largely promising, but there must be some improvements made to the squad during the summer transfer window.

Several players failed to shine against the Bees, however, which could impact their futures.

Wolves' best and worst performers against Brentford

Marshall Munetsi scored a screamer to rescue a point for the Molineux side, and it was an excellent overall display.

He lost possession just seven times and succeeded with 100% of his dribbles during the game.

Sadly, with a move to Manchester United on the horizon, Matheus Cunha looks to have played his final game for the club but he did put in a decent display, registering five total shots while delivering nine crosses into the box as he looked to make the difference.

Metric

Highest-Ranked

Accurate passes

Yehor Yarmolyuk (53)

Key passes

Goncalo Guedes and Rayan Ait-Nouri (3)

Tackles

Joao Gomes (8)

Shots on target

Matheus Cunha (3)

Ground duels won

Joao Gomes (14)

Elsewhere, Rayan Ait-Nouri, who also may have played his final game for Wolves, struggled throughout. Not only did he give the ball away for Brentford’s opener, the defender also lost the ball nine times before being subbed off in the 65th minute.

The worst performer, however, was Goncalo Guedes, and it is almost certain that the Portuguese forward will be on his way out of Molineux this summer.

Why Wolves must sell Goncalo Guedes this summer

Guedes was deployed as a lone centre-forward against Brentford, but failed to make an impression in the final third.

The former Valencia man lasted just 65 minutes. During his time on the pitch, he registered two shots off target, succeeded with three of his six dribble attempts and completed only 20 passes.

There was a moment that left the manager “furious” in the words of Old Gold reporter Liam Keen, when Munetsi cut the ball back but the Portuguese made a mess of the chance and sent it wide.

Across his 29 league matches this season, Guedes scored just twice while grabbing four assists and if Pereira is aiming to take the club into the top half of the Premier League table next season, he should not be the main attacking option, particularly when Cunha departs.

He’s lacked so much pizazz in the final third, notably recording a goal conversion percentage of just 7%, while he averaged 0.5 key passes per game, created two big chances and averaged just 0.3 shots on target per game in the top flight.

Those are hardly the statistics of a player who can make a difference for the club in the final third next season, and this must ensure his departure in the coming months.

Dubbed as “lightning quick” by European football expert Andy Brassell upon his arrival at Molineux, it’s fair to say that he failed to live up to his massive £27.5m transfer fee.

With two years left on his current contract at the club, now is the perfect time for Pereira to cash in on him when the transfer window opens.

It is unlikely he can recoup the near £30m that was spent on him, but any decent fee would bolster the club’s transfer kitty, no doubt about that.

With Cunha departing too, Pereira must bring in another attacker or two.

Wolves can sign their new Raul Jimenez with "extraordinary" £29m star

Wolves will need to replace Matheus Cunha this summer

ByRoss Kilvington May 25, 2025

The fast bowling pair have had different fitness issues but were handed central contracts earlier this year

Andrew McGlashan16-Jul-20242:32

Bailey impressed with Connolly’s ‘versatility’

Australia’s selectors are taking a long-term view with pace bowlers Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson to try and ensure they can put injury problems behind them.Morris, the Western Australia quick who made his ODI debut last season against West Indies having also been part of the Test squad, is working his way through another rehab from a stress injury of his back which has prevented him playing during the winter. It is a repeat of what happened after the 2022-23 season when he was ruled out of the Ashes tour.Related

• Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson set for domestic returns with WA

• Morris hopeful of early Shield return despite 'frustrating' injury issues

• Connolly earns Australia call-up; Fraser-McGurk included for Scotland, England tour

• Bartlett's stunning start in ODIs adds to Australia's pace options

• Stoinis and Agar lose CA deals while Bartlett earns full contract

Morris had earlier suffered a side strain in his second ODI appearance which curtailed his summer. He had been due to appear for Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket before post-season scans showed a hot spot in his back and he wasn’t considered for the tour of Scotland and England.”Lance is still working through his return to play and getting himself right recovering from that stress fracture of the back,” national selector George Bailey said. “Know he’s progressing well, he’s feeling good, he’s starting to get to that point where he wants some cricket and think he’s going to get a hell of a lot of it over the summer and that will be really exciting to see him back.”Felt a little bit like with him, that we wanted to set him up for success in the long term as opposed to pushing that too early then potentially risking what we think is something that could be really exciting across this summer and beyond.”Richardson, who is “fit and firing” according to Bailey, made one appearance for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 after another disrupted domestic season where he suffered a side strain during the BBL having just been recalled to the ODI squad. He last appeared for Australia against Sri Lanka in mid-2022.Both Morris and Richardson were given Cricket Australia central contracts earlier this year.Lance Morris made his ODI debut earlier this year before injury struck•Getty Images

“Jhye is in a similar boat,” Bailey said. “He’s fit and firing now, and again looking for match opportunities. I think he’ll get opportunities again across the summer. For both [him and Morris] I think it’s getting through the season fit and then hopefully maximising the amount of cricket they play. Some of that will be domestic, hopefully there will be some international opportunities [and] Australia A opportunities, then I think we set them up for success in the long term.”The durability of Australia’s big three quicks – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – has meant limited changes to the Test pace attack in recent times beyond the appearance of Scott Boland when one of them has been sidelined. They have also featured regularly in the ODI and T20 World Cups across the last nine months although have been rotated a little more outside of those events.Cummins will miss the entire UK tour so he can work on conditioning ahead of the home summer. Starc will skip the T20Is before returning for the ODIs while Hazlewood features in both squads. Emerging quicks Xavier Bartlett and Spencer Johnson are in the T20I group alongside Nathan Ellis who can expect greater opportunity. Sean Abbott, who played one game at the ODI World Cup, is in the 50-over squad alongside Ellis, Hazlewood and Starc.Jhye Richardson has battled various injuries•Getty Images

Whether Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins can get through the whole five-Test series against India later this year will likely again be a debate and the selectors have factored those workloads into their planning.”As far as the fast bowling group goes, think we’ve got a pretty exciting bunch there that we haven’t had the opportunity to get a lot of games into across the formats predominantly because we’ve had a highly successful and robust senior group of fast bowlers,” Bailey said.”Clearly some of the decisions made around this series is around priortising and getting guys right for what will be a really big summer and for some guys this is an opportunity to get a little bit more work into what they are going to need to be ready for that.”Victoria and Melbourne Renegades allrounder Will Sutherland was another not considered for the latest squads after suffering another back stress fracture late last season. He had also made his ODI debut against West Indies in February.

Liverpool, despite being on course to secure the Premier League title this season, have had an issue in the centre-forward position under Arne Slot.

The Dutch head coach has not found a reliable and consistent option in that role in his 4-3-3 system, with right winger Mo Salah carrying the load at the top end of the pitch with his 27 league strikes.

Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Diogo Jota have all been utilised in the centre-forward role at various points throughout the 2024/25 campaign so far, with none of them able to really nail it down as their own.

As you can see in the table above, all three of those players have been average, or poor, in front of goal considering the quality of chances that the team have created for them.

They have all, also, failed to hit double figures for goals in the division by this point, with Salah sitting on a whopping 18 goals ahead of anyone else in the squad.

Their respective struggles at the top end of the pitch this season may be why Liverpool have been linked with a move for Argentine forward Julian Alvarez.

The latest on Liverpool's interest in Julian Alvarez

Former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown has revealed that Liverpool have “looked” at the former Manchester City number nine ahead of the summer transfer window.

Speaking to Football Insider, the scout explained that the Reds want to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch but the Atletico Madrid man may not be a viable option.

Brown said: “I’ve heard talk about a potential move to Liverpool, but just a year after he left City I’m not convinced that one’s likely to happen. I think he’s one they’ve looked at to see whether he might be an option, but it’s not gone any further.

“He’s settled and happy where he is at the moment, I don’t think he’s looking to move. Plus, Atletico Madrid are not going to want to sell, it would have to be a huge deal.”

He added: “Liverpool do want to strengthen up front, but they’ll have to look elsewhere.”

These comments suggest that Michael Edwards will not be able to strike a deal for the 2022 World Cup winner when the summer transfer window opens, which is a shame when you consider the kind of quality that he could provide at Anfield.

How Julian Alvarez could improve Liverpool's team

The 25-year-old sensation’s performances for Atletico Madrid across all competitions this season suggest that he has the ability to come in and solve Slot’s problems in the number nine position.

Alvarez, who scored 17 goals for Manchester City in the 2022/23 campaign, has racked up 23 goals and five assists in 44 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish giants this term.

He has proven himself to be a ruthless forward who can make a big impact in the final third in both LaLiga and the Champions League for Diego Simeone’s side, thanks to his lethal finishing when chances come his way.

As you can see in the table above, Alvarez has outperformed his xG, by some distance, across both competitions and rarely passed up a ‘big chance’ to find the back of the net.

These statistics suggest that the Argentina international is the kind of centre-forward that Slot has been missing from his Liverpool squad in the Premier League in the current campaign.

The Dutch manager, however, may have his own version of Alvarez brewing at Anfield in the form of young marksman Jayden Danns, who is currently out on loan at Sunderland.

Why Jayden Danns could make the breakthrough at Liverpool

The England U18 international signed for the Championship side on loan in the January transfer window but has yet to make an appearance for the Black Cats due to a back issue.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Danns, despite not having any estimated return date yet, is expected to play a part in their promotion push before the end of the season, though, and that could give him an opportunity to impress Slot before pre-season.

The 19-year-old starlet has, already, shown plenty of promise at youth and senior level in his career so far, however, as he has made nine appearances for Liverpool’s first-team.

Danns has scored three goals in his nine matches for the senior side, scoring two goals against Southampton and one against Accrington Stanley.

As you can see in the clip above, the teenage sensation showed fantastic movement and composure in front of goal to score an excellent goal against the Saints last term.

Danns was once described as “unplayable” by U23 scout Antonio Mango and analyst Ben Mattinson claimed that the striker is “a better finisher than (Darwin) Nunez”, which shows that he has caught the eye of unbiased onlookers.

As you can see in the table above, the Liverpool youngster has already shown a clinical and ruthless edge at academy level with his goalscoring exploits in the U18 Premier League and the FA Youth Cup.

It is now down to him to show that he can translate those performances over to the senior versions of those competitions, in the Premier League and the Champions League specifically.

His return of three goals in two FA Cup matches for the first-team is a promising sign and shows that he does have the ability to make an impact against senior teams, with his aforementioned goal against Southampton showcasing his composure and quality in front of goal.

It is now down to him to return from injury and enjoy a strong end to the campaign with Sunderland to prove to Slot that he is ready to return to Anfield to compete for a place in the squad next season.

Slot can bin Nunez & Jota by unleashing Liverpool star who's barely played

Liverpool can move on from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota by unleashing this star.

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Dan Emery

Mar 23, 2025

If he can do that then Edwards can forget all about Alvarez and the club’s unlikely pursuit of the Atletico star as Liverpool could have their own version of the clinical number nine in Danns, who seemingly has the potential to be the consistent scorer that the Reds have lacked in that position this season.

“It was very good gesture,” veteran quick Dhawal Kulkarni says of Ajinkya Rahane giving him a chance to pick up the final wicket, which he did

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2024Dhawal KulkarniIt’s a cricketer’s dream to start on a high and end on a high. This final will remain very close to me because this is my sixth final and the fifth time we have won.[On Ajinkya Rahane bringing him on after the penultimate wicket fell] It was very good gesture. I wasn’t expecting it because Tushar [Deshpande] had picked up two wickets just before that. But hats off to him [Rahane]. He told me, ‘Dhawal, you have led for so many years. Lead once again and finish the job.'[Looking back on his journey with Mumbai] The more I played, the more experience I gained by playing alongside big players. The same experience I tried to pass on to the youngsters.

Many congratulations to @MumbaiCricAssoc on winning their 42nd Ranji Trophy! Vidarbha's resilience added to the spectacle, especially Karun, Akshay & Harsh, who batted extremely well and made the match very interesting.

Mumbai's bowlers kept bowling relentlessly, and finally the… pic.twitter.com/hQb0D2TIUg

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 14, 2024

While the Premier League season has rather petered out for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, the future remains bright for a football club that is still very much on the rise.

Of course, they will be disappointed at the way they fell behind Liverpool in the race for the title but their remarkable 3-0 win over Real Madrid last week sent a message around the continent that the Gunners are a mighty fine team, even when they aren’t at full strength.

Last week, Declan Rice’s free-kick heroics ensured that Arteta’s men head to the Bernabeu this week in pole position to seal a semi-final spot.

However, they managed to do so without Kai Havertz and Gabriel, only making the achievement even more incredible.

That result was one of the greatest the Emirates has ever been and new sporting director, Andrea Berta, certainly needs to build on that over the summer. It could have been just the message his various transfer targets needed.

Arsenal's summer transfer plans

The biggest priority for Berta this summer will be strengthening the forward line.

Alexander Isak is the dream acquisition but reportedly valued at somewhere around £150m, it makes any deal pretty impossible to complete.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

As a result, Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres could be the player they turn to with The Athletic’s David Ornstein reporting a few weeks ago that he is the leading target.

However, they may also strengthen in midfield with Ornstein providing the latest on their pursuit of Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi over the weekend.

Speaking on the Athletic podcast, he admitted that Arsenal are “expecting” to sign the Spanish midfielder in the summer, having done a lot of work on a possible transfer.

A move could cost in the region of £51m, the release clause in Zubimendi’s contract at La Real.

How Zubimendi would fit into Arsenal's midfield

At the end of the season, Thomas Partey and Jorginho’s contracts will expire, hence Arsenal’s desire to sign a new midfielder.

Jorginho – now just a bit-part of the side – won’t be a huge miss on the field but it’s safe to say the Gunners may miss Partey a little bit more.

He’s proven his worth, particularly in recent weeks, delivering a stand-out performance against Real Madrid last Tuesday and scoring against Brentford on Saturday evening.

During that thrilling win over Carlo Ancelotti’s side, no midfielder completed their passes at a more successful rate than Partey’s 93.8%. Furthermore, only William Saliba on both sides completed more carries.

Passes completed

62

2nd

Pass success %

93.8%

3rd

Passes into final 3rd

5

3rd

Attempted take-ons

3

3rd

Carries

48

2nd

Tackles won

3

3rd

That said, in Zubimendi, they won’t be signing a replacement for Partey. He only ranks in the top 57% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries.

Instead, they would be replacing Jorginho’s role as a tempo-setter and conductor of play. Zubimendi ranks among the best 7% of midfielders in Europe for touches in the defensive penalty area and the top 16% for tackles in the attacking third, indicating that he likes to come short towards the defence but also that he likes to press high up.

As a result, this transfer is likely to mean that Rice’s days as an out-and-out holding midfield player are numbered. While that may have looked like a bad thing at the start of the season, the idea of placing Zubimendi alongside the club’s record signing is a salivating one.

Indeed, Rice has done a lot of his best work in the no.8 role this season, playing further forward and impacting games in the final third.

His attacking traits are improving all the time and that has been abundantly clear over the last week. Those two free-kicks against Madrid were a sign that his ball striking would be put to good use in a more advanced role while the way he galivanted forward for Partey’s goal against Brentford summed up why Arteta is keen to use him further forward.

Rice broke quickly from a Bees corner, beating one man and then surging into the opposition half like a racehorse, devastatingly darting towards goal and then playing the ball at exactly the right time.

That type of line-breaking carry would rarely be seen if he was playing in a holding role but the arrival of Zubimendi would give Rice the license he truly needs to establish himself as one of the game’s most elite midfielders.

100% duels won, 94% passing: Arsenal star is now as undroppable as Rice

Arsenal failed to overcome Brentford on Saturday evening.

2 ByMatt Dawson Apr 13, 2025

da cassino online： Over the last few years, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has gained a reputation for rubbing people up the wrong way.

da marjack bet： Whether it’s penalty antics or goading the crowd, the World Cup winner has made his fair share of enemies. But how has he irritated so many with his performances and antics? Here, we take a look at the moments that made Martinez one of football’s best wind-up merchants.

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Posts 1 ByCharlie Smith Nov 28, 2025 1 Psyching out Yerry Mina Argentina v Colombia, 2021 Copa America

Martinez took full advantage of an empty stadium at the pandemic-delayed Copa America in 2021 by using his taunting skills to put off Yerry Mina during a tense semi-final penalty shootout.

With the scores locked at 1-1, Martinez hurled insults at the defender, saying: “You’re nervous, huh? You’re laughing but you’re nervous. Yeah, yeah. You’re nervous. You’re nervous.

“Hey! The ball is ahead [of the penalty spot]. Yeah, yeah. Turn a blind eye. I already know you.

“Hey, look. See how I know where you’ll shoot. And then I’ll save it. I’m eating you up, brother. I’m eating you up, brother.”

Martinez had successfully flustered his opponent, and Colombia lost 3-2 on penalties, while Argentina went on to win the tournament with a 1-0 win over Brazil.

2 Winding up Ronaldo and teasing United fans Man Utd v Aston Villa, 2021/22 Premier League

With Aston Villa holding on for what would be a historic victory at Old Trafford, those hopes were left dangling by a thread when Man Utd were awarded a stoppage-time penalty.

Not fazed by the situation at all, Martinez prepared his wind-up act.

With Bruno Fernandes appearing favourite to take the kick, Martinez appeared to gesture towards Cristiano Ronaldo to take the kick himself, presumably to get in Fernandes’ head.

Fernandes was the one to eventually step up but ballooned his shot over the bar, leading Martinez to shake his hips at the devastated crowd to add insult to injury.

3 Dancing at the World Cup Netherlands v Argentina, 2022 World Cup

Martinez brought his post-penalty dancing to a global audience when the Netherlands and Argentina met in the World Cup quarter-finals.

After a 2-2 draw in normal time, the sides couldn’t be separated in the extra period, either – which meant it was time for Martinez to strut his stuff again.

The Villa ‘keeper kept out Virgil van Dijk to get the shootout off to a flyer, before repeating the trick with Steven Berghuis’ spot-kick.

The latter prompted La Albiceleste’s No 1 to celebrate with the fans, with the kicks being taken at the Argentina end. He was later labelled “crazy” for his actions, but that didn’t stop him from repeating them in the final.

4 Making crude gesture with the Golden Glove Argentina v France, 2022 World Cup

Winning the World Cup is a moment of immense pride, but you can also get carried away in the delirium of taking home football’s biggest prize.

Emi Martinez fell victim to this in the presentations following Argentina’s dramatic shootout win over France, during which he was handed the Golden Glove for being the best goalkeeper at the tournament.

Upon receiving the trophy, Martinez made a lewd gesture among a series of post-match taunts, angering the French FA, which launched an official complaint against his behaviour.

He had also called for a minute’s silence for Kylian Mbappe in the dressing room after denying the hat-trick hero a second World Cup.

5 Battling fellow mischief-maker Neal Maupay Brentford v Aston Villa, 2023/24 Premier League

Martinez vs Maupay is perhaps as box-office as it can get when it comes to a certain type of, shall we say ‘housery’.

And during a heated match between Brentford and Aston Villa in the 2023/24 Premier League, both players came to blows as they tried to outdo each other.

The main flashpoint between them came when Maupay collided with Martinez when retrieving a ball that went out of play, with Martinez making the most of the contact.

Moments later, Maupay went down under even lighter contact from the goalkeeper, with Martinez attempting to drag the Frenchman to his feet and Maupay almost ending up with his shirt over his head.

It was as farcical as it was entertaining.

6 Yellow card chaos (and more crowd-teasing) Lille v Aston Villa, 2023/24 Conference League

Martinez was the villain of the piece once again as Aston Villa prevailed in the Conference League quarter-finals.

Despite already being on a yellow card, the Villa shot-stopper wasted no time getting to work once the game entered a shootout.

As Nabil Bentaleb was stepping forward to take Lille’s first penalty, Martinez made sure he got to the ball first, much to the annoyance of the home support – before saving from the Algerian.

Martinez proceeded to gloat by shushing the Lille faithful, who responded by hurling objects at the Argentinian.

The goalkeeper’s protestations – or provocations – as a result of the missiles led to another yellow card from the referee, who had repeatedly warned Martinez he was on a tightrope.

Staying on the pitch due to a rarely seen rule regarding cautions not being carried over into penalty shootouts.

Not done there, Martinez then saved a match-winning kick from Benjamin Andre, before failing to resist a final celebratory jig in the direction of the fans.

7 Scrapping with Jack Grealish Aston Villa v Man City, 2024/25 Premier League

Jack Grealish didn’t get the best of receptions when he came back to Villa Park with Manchester City earlier this season, handing Martinez a chance to gee up the home supporters.

Martinez took issue with Grealish after the former Villa hero approached the referee to make a complaint, supposedly about the amount of added time.

Grealish got a shove from the goalkeeper for his troubles, and after Martinez was booked for his role in the skirmish, the two players continued to trade verbal blows down the tunnel.

Luckily for Grealish, he’s not the first, nor the last, player to let Martinez get under his skin.