Emiliano Martínez Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Emiliano Martínez is an Argentinian professional soccer player who has represented, as a goalkeeper, Arsenal F.C. (2012-2020) and Aston Villa F.C. (2020-Present) in England. He has also spent loan spells with Oxford United F.C. (2012), Sheffield Wednesday F.C. (2013-2014), Rotherham United F.C. (2015), Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. (2015-2016), and Reading F.C. (2019) in England; and Getafe CF (2017-2018) in Spain. With Arsenal F.C., Emiliano won the FA Cup (the premier domestic knockout soccer competition in England) in the 2019-20 season. It was the club’s record-extending 14th such title. With the club, he also won the FA Community Shield in 2014, 2015, and 2020. The triumph in 2020 was the club’s 16th such and made it the then 2nd-most successful team in the competition. The FA Community Shield is annually decided by a one-off match played between the winners of the Premier League (the top tier of the English soccer league system) and the FA Cup. At the international level, Emiliano represented Argentina at the under-17 and under-20 tiers before making his senior national debut in June 2021. With Argentina, he won the 2022 edition of the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup. He also won the ‘Golden Glove’ award as the best goalkeeper in the tournament. This was the 3rd time that Argentina had won the tournament – after 1978 and 1986.

Born Name

Damián Emiliano Martínez

Nick Name

Emi, Dibu

Sun Sign

Virgo

Born Place

Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

Residence

He splits his time between Argentina and England.

Nationality

Occupation

Professional Soccer Player

Family

• Father – Alberto Martínez
• Mother – Susana Martínez
• Siblings – Alejandro Martínez (Brother)

Manager

He has been represented by –

• Latope Sports & Entertainment, Sports Talent Management Firm, London, England, United Kingdom
• Twenty Two, Sports Talent Management Firm, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Shirt Number

• 23, 12 – Argentina
• 59, 36, 50, 26 – Arsenal F.C.
• 31 – Oxford United F.C.
• 26 – Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Rotherham United F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Reading F.C.
• 1 – Getafe CF
• 26, 1 – Aston Villa F.C.

Playing Position

Goalkeeper

Build

Athletic

Height

6 ft 5 in or 195.5 cm

Weight

88 kg or 194 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Emiliano has dated –

1. Amanda Gama (2017-Present) – Emiliano married his high school sweetheart Amanda ‘Mandinha’ Gama in 2017. They have 2 children together – a son named Santi and a daughter named Ava.

Race / Ethnicity

Hispanic

He is of Argentinian descent.

Hair Color

Dark Brown

Eye Color

Light Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Toned physique
• Short-cropped, side-parted hair
• Affable smile
• Clean-shaven look

Brand Endorsements

He has been sponsored by –

• Puma SE (German multinational corporation that is the 3rd largest sportswear manufacturer in the world)
• Gillette (American brand of safety razors and other personal care products)

Emiliano Martínez Facts

1. Emiliano’s youth career began in 2008 when, as a 16-year-old, he joined Club Atlético Independiente, an Argentinian professional sports club based in Greater Buenos Aires.
2. In 2010, he was selected by Arsenal F.C. Academy, the youth system of English giants Arsenal F.C. He stayed in the system until 2012 when he was promoted to the club’s senior team.
3. During his time at Club Atlético Independiente, Emiliano was nicknamed ‘Dibu’ (short for Dibujo, the Spanish word for ‘drawing’) after an animated character in a popular Argentinian telenovela (a type of TV serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America) called Mi Familia es un Dibujo.
4. In his first season with Aston Villa F.C. (2020-21), he equaled the club record (15) for clean sheets (a term used to refer to a goalkeeper who prevents the opposing side from scoring even a single goal in a match) in a Premier League season. He was also named ‘Aston Villa F.C. Player of the Season’.
5. In 2021, Emiliano won the Copa América, the premier men’s soccer tournament contested between national teams from South America. Played for the first time in 1916, it is the oldest continental soccer competition that is still active. The title was Argentina’s 15th such, tying them with Uruguay as the competition’s most successful team. It was also Argentina’s first major senior-level title since their triumph in the 1993 edition of the Copa América.
6. During the 2021 Copa América, he recorded clean sheets against Uruguay and Paraguay in the group stage; against Ecuador in the quarter-final; and Brazil in the final. In the semi-final of the tournament, against Colombia, after the teams were locked at 1 goal apiece at the end of extra time, he saved 3 spot kicks in Argentina’s eventual 3-2 penalty shoot-out victory. Emiliano was included in the ‘Team of the Tournament’ and also won the ‘Golden Glove’ award as the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
7. With Argentina, he also won the 2022 edition of the CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions. Emiliano kept a clean sheet as Argentina defeated Italy by a 3-0 margin in the trophy decider – a one-off match played between the winners of the Copa América and the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) European Championship (also known as the UEFA Euro), the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship of Europe. It was just the 3rd edition of the tournament after 1985 and 1993. Argentina had won the 1993 edition as well.
8. At the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup, Emiliano recorded clean sheets against Mexico and Poland in the group stage; and against Croatia in the semi-final. He also saved 2 penalties in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Netherlands in the quarter-final stage of the tournament after the teams were locked at 2 goals apiece at the end of extra time.
9. In the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, against defending champions France, after the teams were locked at 3 goals apiece at the end of extra time, he saved a penalty from Kingsley Coman in Argentina’s 4-2 shootout victory. The result also meant that this was just the 4th instance of a team winning 2 penalty shoot-outs in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup. The first team to have achieved this feat was also Argentina, in 1990 (against Yugoslavia and Italy); while the 2nd and 3rd such instances were both recorded by Croatia – in 2018 (against Denmark and Russia) and 2022 (against Japan and Brazil).
10. Emiliano stirred controversy during the tournament’s award ceremony when he put his ‘Golden Glove’ award to his groin, pointed towards the audience, and then waved it in the air. The vulgar gesture was widely criticized and Emiliano responded by stating that he had done so to hit back at the French fans who were booing him.
11. He was also lambasted for leading a conga line (a novelty line dance that was derived from the Cuban carnival dance of the same name) of Argentinian players in the team’s locker room during which he made fun of France’s Kylian Mbappé who scored 3 goals in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. When the Argentinian squad returned to Buenos Aires, fans presented Emiliano with a baby doll with Kylian’s face.
12. In January 2023, Emiliano purchased a Belgian Malinois guard dog (generally owned by SAS and US Navy Seals) for £20,000 for protecting his 2022 FIFA World Cup winner’s medal.

Featured Image by Emiliano Martínez / Instagram