‘They insulted me the entire match’: Emiliano Martinez on the hostile atmosphere he received at Lille

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·5 June 2024

‘They insulted me the entire match’: Emiliano Martinez on the hostile atmosphere he received at Lille

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.

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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.

GFFN | Jack McArdle