The condemnation continues to come for Golden Glove-winning Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez for his reactions after winning the World Cup. It was twofold: Kylian Mbappe trolling and a lewd gesture just after receiving the Golden Glove trophy.
Scottish player Graeme Souness reserves his anger for that gesture. Martinez placed the trophy, a giant golden hand, against his groin before emphatically waving it over his head during the post-match celebration.
“I can accept those antics, to a point. But what we should talk about more is the rude gesture he made after receiving his trophy for best goalkeeper of the tournament.”
“Are there really people who think something like this is funny? Martinez embarrassed himself and embarrassed his country. He looked like a vulgar clown. If that’s what he wants to be remembered for, god help us all.
“I love him as a goalkeeper, in Argentina and at Aston Villa. But for him to think what he did was appropriate is incredible. I don’t understand why he decided to do that in front of everyone […] What respect does he show for his hosts? Also for himself? Maybe he doesn’t care. Well, he should. He won’t be that proud for years to come. Unfortunately, that image is now part of the history of the final.”
The other antics involved Mbappé. Immediately after winning the World Cup, he first went to comfort Mbappé on the field. Later, in the dressing room, the Argentine players danced around the dressing room after their triumph and were heard singing “a minute’s silence” in succession, before leaving an opening for goalkeeper Martinez to shout: “For Mbappé who is dead!
“This is detracting from Argentina’s success in a way,” said Patrick Vieira, who won the 1998 World Cup with France and is the manager of Crystal Palace.
“I don’t think they really needed that. You can’t control people’s emotional decisions sometimes. But that was a stupid decision, I think, on Martinez’s part to do that. I was really disappointed.”
France has also filed an official complaint against Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez for brutally trolling Kylian Mbappé after the final between Argentina and France. Martinez also held up the Mbappé dummy as he stood alongside Mbappé’s PSG teammate Messi during the epic bus ride celebrations in Buenos Aires.