How Neal Maupay helped Argentina win the World Cup by sparking the career of Emiliano Martínez

Emiliano Martínez’s rise to the pinnacle of world football with Argentina has been extraordinary – but would it have happened without Neal Maupay?

Brighton can lay claim to helping Argentina winning the World Cup courtesy on the performances of their midfield maestro Alexis Mac Allister. But their influence may run deeper – and it involves their former striker Neal Maupay.

Confused? Stay with us.

Take your minds back to June 2020. Football was still being played behind closed doors as Brighton hosted Arsenal in the Premier League. Maupay’s stoppage-time winner led the Seagulls to a 2-1 victory but it was not his only decisive act in the game.

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Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper during that period was Bernd Leno with Argentina hero Martinez stuck on the Arsenal bench with his career heading in the wrong direction.

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However, one high ball forward saw Leno and Maupay challenge together and changed the trajectory of Martinez’s life as a footballer. The Brighton forward’s challenge on Leno caused the German to leave the field on a stretcher and Martinez was thrust into first-team action – it was his first Premier League appearance for three years having spent time out on loan at Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham, Wolves, Getafe and Reading.

Leno was subsequently ruled out with a serious knee injury.

Image: Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno lands awkwardly after a challenge from Brighton and Hove Albion's Neal Maupay

And Martinez didn’t look back from there.

With Leno on the sidelines, Martinez made the Arsenal goalkeeping jersey his own for the remainder of the season, making 23 appearances across all competitions, including playing a leading role as Arsenal won the FA Cup against Chelsea.

Despite his heroics with Arsenal at the end of that season, Leno regained fitness and the faith of boss Mikel Arteta, so Martinez switched to Aston Villa for £20m.

When signing for Villa, he hadn’t even made his Argentina debut.

However, fast forward two years and after becoming one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Premier League, he burst into the Argentina team and now has a World Cup winners medal to his name.

Martinez’s penalty shootout antics: It’s an art

Image: Martinez saves Kinglsey Coman's penalty in World Cup final

Martinez’s impact as Argentina came out on top in one of the greatest World Cup finals in history at the Lusail Stadium was massive, especially in the shootout.

Martinez saved Kingsley Coman’s effort before Aurelian Tchouameni fired wide, leaving Gonzalo Montiel to convert the winning penalty.

As someone known for his penalty-saving ability and certain shenanigans when games go to spot kicks, he was in his element on the world stage.

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Gonzalo Montiel’s decisive penalty in the shootout gives Argentina World Cup final victory against France

Along with celebrating enthusiastically in front of Coman, he was seen throwing the ball away before Tchouameni stepped up and tried to approach the Real Madrid midfielder, receiving a yellow card from the referee.

This was the latest in a line of big-game penalty shootout heroics from Martinez in an Argentina shirt.

Martinez helped his team win the Copa America after saving three penalties in the semi-final victory over Colombia and saved twice in the World Cup quarter-final win over Netherlands in the shootout. He is unbeaten in three penalty shootouts for his country.

Image: Emiliano Martinez saves Virgil van Dijk's penalty

“I have no words for it. I was calm during the penalty shootout and everything went as we wanted,” Martinez said after Sunday’s final.

“All that I have dreamed of has been achieved.”

Penalty expert Geir Jordet, speaking to Sky Sports for a feature earlier this season, explained the science behind Martinez’s shootout exploits: “The Martinez technique is kind of combining both, a physical distraction and indirect, subtle, manipulative.

“There’s definitely an art to it. Martinez is the next level again, now, finding these confrontational, direct super-disturbing ways to try to address the penalty takers.”

‘From League Two to World Cup winner’

Sky Sports’ Ben Grounds:

“While Morocco’s Yassine Bounou and Dominik Livakovic of Croatia would have been deserving of a place between the posts, Aston Villa stopper Martinez just about edges it as the goalkeeper of the tournament and winner of the Golden Glove.

“A little over a decade ago he was playing in Sky Bet League Two at Oxford United, but here in Qatar he saved two penalties in the shootout win over the Netherlands to keep alive the World Cup hopes of Argentina and Messi and became an increasingly dominant presence within the squad as they marched on towards glory.

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Sky Sports chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol discusses the FIFA World Cup Final

“His save from Randal Kolo Muani with seconds remaining in extra-time spared Argentina from an agonising defeat in the final and his dominance in the next crucial shootout helped his nation finally get over the line.”