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Emi Martinez repeats lewd World Cup final celebration with replica Copa America trophy

ben rumsby
·2-min read
Martinez trophy celebration
Emiliano Martínez’s trademark celebration gained notoriety at the 2022 World Cup (left) and was repeated with a replica Copa America trophy on Thursday

Emiliano Martínez has reprised his lewd trophy-winning celebration, this time with a replica of the Copa America.

The Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper appears to have permanently adopted the habit of holding trophies against his crotch, having done so most notoriously with his Golden Glove award at the last World Cup.

Martinez with golden glove trophy
The original celebration, with the World Cup’s Golden Glove award in 2022 - Getty Images/Marc Atkins

Martínez and his international team-mates recreated the gesture in March last year while parading replicas of the World Cup trophy in their first match since beating France on penalties at Qatar 2022.

Argentina players with world cup trophies
Martínez’s Argentina team-mates get in on the act earlier this year - Alamy /Julieta Ferrario

The goalkeeper appeared to resist the urge to do so upon winning another Golden Glove award when Argentina successfully defended their Copa America title in July.

But it was while parading a replica of that trophy during his country’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Chile on Thursday night that he was unable to resist.

Martínez first performed the celebration after winning the Golden Glove award at the 2021 Copa America but it really caused a storm when he repeated it in Muslim-majority Qatar.

Afterwards, Fifa opened disciplinary proceedings against the Argentina Football Association, including for breaches of rules governing “offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play”, although Telegraph Sport has found no record of what action, if any, was taken.

Martínez’s Villa manager, Unai Emery, also said he would “speak to” the keeper about his celebrations.

In a later interview with France Football, Martínez said that Lionel Messi had warned him against performing the vulgar pose at the World Cup.

“The gesture I made with the best goalkeeper trophy was a joke with my team-mates,” he said. “I had already done it at the Copa America, and they all said to me, ‘No way’ to do it again. Even Leo told me that. I did it for them, nothing more. It lasted a second and that was it.”

Martínez has also earned a reputation as a pantomime villain in football, something he discussed in a recent interview with Telegraph Sport.