Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United during the summer window in 2025, before ultimately staying in the Midlands
Emi Martinez reckons Aston Villa's march to the Europa League final proves he was right not to leave the club last summer.
Martinez considered walking out on Villa - with Manchester United keen to take him to Old Trafford. But the Argentine World Cup winner had a change of heart to remain at Villa Park instead.
And he insists he has no regrets - as he gets set to try and help Villa win their first trophy since 1996 when they take on Freiburg in the showpiece game in Istanbul.
He said: "Sometimes football can change, managers can come in and go. "People move around the place, but it doesn't mean that I (don't) have full respect and love for the club.
"I had a commitment with Aston Villa. I'm a World Cup winner with Aston Villa. I won two Golden Gloves with Aston Villa. I will always and forever love this club.
"One day I am going to retire and somebody else will be between the sticks. I'm in a European final, we are in Champions League again, with all the ups and downs.
"We've got a top coach, we've got a top captain, we have a decent core of the team and when we stick together and fight together, we can beat anybody.
"I'm really proud to stay. I made the right choice."
And the Villa keeper is adamant that when they take the pitch at Besiktas' Tupras Stadium, they have the perfect man in the dugout to guide them.
Villa start the game as firm favourites to go on and win. Not least because in Emery, the English side have a boss who has built his career on winning this competition.
This will be Emery's sixth appearance in a final, having already won it four times on behalf of both Villarreal and Sevilla. He also led Arsenal to the final in Baku in 2019, only to lose to London rivals Chelsea.
But Martinez insists the team wouldn't want to have anyone but Emery in the dug out this time round. He said: "It's massive. I have been with some of these players so many years, so many games together fighting for mid-table to European places, to semi-finals.
"And now we are in the final. I think we deserve it, I think the fans deserve it and obviously the manager has had four or five finals in this competition.
"We don't wish (to have) anyone else on the bench apart from him, leading us to a European final."