• The World Cup winner recalls the shootouts against the Netherlands and France

• He says that extra time against the Dutch was “the worst 30 minutes of my career”

• Argentinian voted The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper 2022 at last month’s awards

The stands were still empty at the 2021 Copa America in Brazil, which meant the on-field effects microphones could pick up almost everything said on the pitch. Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez (the nickname comes from a character in a TV show in Argentina) was up against Colombia’s Yerry Mina in the semi-final penalty shoot-out.

The keeper’s trash talk, which culminated in the line “Disculpame pero te como, hermano” (Too bad brother, I’m going to eat you alive!) had its effect, as Martinez saved the penalty. The words became a national catchphrase, as his face, his jersey, the save, everything, became the stuff of banners. ‘Dibumania’ was born.

Martinez had started the tournament as something of an unknown quantity in Argentina’s goal. He was little known at home, and his performances were a pleasant surprise to the fans. His development in Europe had been slow but steady: he made a few appearances for Arsenal but was unable to establish himself there. Aston Villa, by contrast, believed in him and in his talent enough to make him the most expensive goalkeeper in Argentinian history.

Lionel Scaloni believed in Martinez too. He initially won his place in the team when Franco Armani fell ill with Covid at the beginning of 2021, and by the time of the Copa America, he had made the position his own. Moreover, by the end of the tournament, he had gone from mystery man to penalty specialist. From the unknown keeper to the official guardian of the Argentinian net.

Nevertheless, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ presented him with new challenges. Was he really as good at saving spot-kicks as he seemed that night in Brasilia, or were those three stops just a coincidence?

The Netherlands, in the quarter-final, pushed Argentina to the limit. Martinez loves the limit, though he did tell FIFA+ that “extra time in that game was the worst 30 minutes of my professional career".

He added: "The game ended and I couldn’t believe what was happening. But when it went to penalties, that was my department, my place. And to be honest, I enjoyed it."

And he had every reason to do so: he stopped the first two kicks and danced away from his line each time, Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis the victims. Martinez dived towards his posts with brute force and looked unbeatable. “Saving the first penalty is important, it’s marking out your territory, saying to them ‘this isn’t going to be easy’,” he says.

That security, that sense of infallibility spread through the Argentinian ranks.

“They told me that they were more relaxed as they were stepping up, and that’s the greatest satisfaction you can have as a goalkeeper,” he recalls. Only one of his five team-mates missed. The whole team were feeling that sense of security.

With victory over the Netherlands in the bag, Martinez’s jigs of delight began to go viral. Suddenly Buenos Aires’ sports shops were selling out of red and green No.23 shirts as fast as they could buy in more stock.

But if Martinez had already won a place in the hearts of all Argentinians, there was still one leg left of his journey to the pantheon. France had the potential to turn Argentinian dreams to nightmares in the final of Qatar 2022, with Kyllian Mbappe seemingly cast as the villain of the piece.

The tournament’s top scorer beat Martinez three time in the 120 minutes, twice from 12 yards out, but the teams could not be separated. It would be penalties again, only this time to decide who would become world champions.

“I wouldn’t say I felt confident, nor under pressure. I felt it was my moment to help out my team-mates. To do something for my country. I couldn’t let them down,” says Martinez.

And indeed, Dibu did not let them down: he saved from Kingsley Coman, and after Aurelien Tchaoumeni sent his kick wide, the scene was set for Argentina to lift their third World Cup.

When Gonzalo Montiel sealed the victory, Martinez sank to the turf and lay still: “It was a strange sensation, being overcome and elated at the same time. It’s difficult to explain the feeling of becoming world champion: you look up and you see all your team-mates running towards you, in tears. I get all emotional just thinking of it. I remember getting to my feet and walking over to where my family were sitting, crying because I couldn’t believe what had happened.”

What had happened was that Argentina had won the World Cup. Martinez became a national hero, then won The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper 2022 award, and now his name is one that none of his compatriots will ever forget.

The Best home page Amputee football star Oleksy wins FIFA Puskás Award Messi: World Cup glory capped my career