Dibu was introduced to European football with Arsenal’s age group from Argentina. However, despite being promoted from the age group to the main team, he was not getting much playing time. Dibu was getting a handful of two-four matches in the Premier League and FA Cup every season. Club Arsenal was also probably sceptical of his abilities.
Dibu watched the final match of 2014 World Cup sitting at his home. Azhor cried, and so did ten Argentine fans. Maybe the goalkeeper sat himself in the place of Sergio Romero while crying, maybe if he had that pair of gloves in his hand, Gotze’s shot would have been stuck in it, maybe the title winning team would have been called Argentina. As a professional Argentinian goalkeeper, his thoughts were not entirely unreasonable.
However, despite spending an extraordinary season in the club, the opportunity deserved for the national team did not come. When it came, that too due to Franco Armani contracting covid; And that came just two matches before the Copa America. Ahamri did not fare well in the two scheduled World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia, but Emiliano was the first-choice goalkeeper as Armani was still unwell. What happened next, it can be called a fairy tale!
He saved Vidal’s penalty in the first match of the Copa America, then kept a clean sheet against Uruguay-Paraguay-Ecuador, and became the hero by stopping three penalties in the semi-final tiebreaker. And the real test was against the mighty Brazil, which he passed with a clean sheet.
Emiliano has since become Argentina’s first-choice goalkeeper, winning the Finalsima trophy for the blue-and-whites. He regularly played in qualifiers and friendly matches, and flew to Qatar as the number one goalkeeper.
However, before the match against Mexico, television cameras caught him looking worried. And then Emiliano was comforted by the man standing closest to him, Lionel Messi. In the first half of the match, Emiliano kept Argentina in the match by stopping a great free-kick from Mexico, and the Messi-Magic story is still going on in the second half.
Rodrigo De Paul has already said that this Argentina team could go to war for Lionel Messi. Emiliano Martinez is a step ahead in this regard; He is willing to sacrifice his life for Messi. Of course, he will not say that or why! That’s all Lionel Messi can do to inspire a new generation!