From being praised by Aston Villa fans with the slogan "the world's number 1 goalkeeper", Emiliano Martinez is now considered a " Fool" by many who once worshiped him.
This summer, English football has seen a wave of players using star power to promote transfer deals. Alexander Isak and Yoane Wissa even attacked to put pressure.
Nicolas Jackson "camped" in Munich (Germany) and was eventually recruited by Bayern. They may be criticized but at least they have achieved their goal.
Emi Martinez is the opposite. He is looking to leave Aston Villa, hoping to join Manchester United on the last day of the transfer window. However, in the end, the "Red Devils" did not really want to have the Argentine star.
The Old Trafford team made a loan offer early, then quickly ignored it as an "use- expired" item, before switching to promising young goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Galatasaray has been mentioned as a potential destination for Dibu, while the gate to Saudi Arabia is also open until the first week of September. However, that is certainly not the prospect Martinez has dreamed of when sitting out.
One of the players who has also been widely speculated in the transfer market is Marc Guehi - Crystal Palace's centre-back. In Palace's recent 3-0 win over Villa, Guehi played excellently when locking down the home team's attack, directly scoring even though Liverpool had sent a request to buy Guehi to Palace a day before. Although the deal ended up in disarray, Guehi still came out of the transfer window with a professional image, while Martinez was completely opposite.
Since leaving Arsenal to join Villa five years ago, Martinez has had excellent performances and made a great contribution to the club's journey. However, that comes with erratic spirit and drama that sometimes causes fatigue for teammates. Not everyone in the Aston Villa dressing room is saddened if the Argentine goalkeeper leaves.
Things started to get worse from the end of last season. After the win over Tottenham at Villa Park, Martinez burst into tears right on the pitch, while the team still had a decisive game against Man United a match that could take them to the Champions League. Instead of focusing on expertise, the club was caught up in rumors about the future of the Argentine goalkeeper.
Then at Old Trafford, Dibu was also sent off, indirectly causing Aston Villa to lose their Champions League ticket. Fortunately for Martinez, public attention focused more on Morgan Rogers' unjustly deducted goal.
This past summer can be considered a disaster for Emi Martinez personally. Instead of taking advantage of his existing reputation to open a step forward, he plunged into an adventure that went nowhere. Villa fans now only remember the image of a goalkeeper wanting to leave the team on the last day of the transfer window but in the end no one needed it.
Unlike Guehi, Martinez returned to the team with a skeptical luggage, both from fans and teammates. From a hero on the 11m mark, from a symbol of resilience, he became the center of disappointment.
Martinez was once considered a representative of Aston Villa's fighting spirit, a goalkeeper with great personality, enough to promote his teammates. However, after tears, wrong decisions and a chaotic summer, he has the only choice but to return to Villa Park and pray for forgiveness.
Fans can forgive but they are unforgettable. As for Unai Emery, he is forced to put collective interests above personal emotions. Once faith is damaged, it is difficult to heal.
The 2025 summer transfer window witnessed a paradox when from being called "world No. 1", Emiliano Martinez transformed himself into the biggest loser.
