Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (31) has opened up about the insults he received playing for the Premier League outfit in the Europa Conference League quarter-final, second leg against LOSC Lille at Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez describes insults received at Lille
After a nail-biting period of extra time following a 2-1 win for Les Dogues to level the tie, the English side prevailed 4-3 in a penalty shootout, with Martinez once again a penalty shootout hero following his exploits in the World Cup final against France that has earnt him a notorious reputation in the country.
In the immediate aftermath of his performance in the quarter-final shootout, the Argentine taunted the home fans with dancing and gestures after receiving a barrage of insults throughout the game in north-eastern France, treatment that he has evoked in an interview for Argentine outlet TYC Sports:
“They insulted me the entire match. Never had I been so insulted in all my life. They did everything! I didn’t do anything in the 120 minutes of the game. The fans insulted me so much during each goal kick that the referee issued me a yellow card in the 30th minute! After that, I shut them up during the penalty shootout.”
Aston Villa went on to exit the competition at the semi-final stage, soundly beaten by the eventual champions Olympiacos.
