World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez has been crowned The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper 2022.
Argentina's World Cup-winning keeper finished in front of Morocco and Sevilla's Yassine Bounou and Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid and Belgium.
Martinez was a figure of inspiration and excellence as the last line of Argentina’s defence during their triumphant Qatar 2022 campaign. The 30-year-old was a key performer for his nation and won the Golden Glove award for the tournament’s best goalkeeper.
His reputation as a penalty specialist was enhanced by stunning saves in Argentina’s shoot-out wins over the Netherlands in the last eight and France in the final. That astonishing final also saw Martinez make one of the one of most important goalkeeping interventions in football history.
With the score locked at 3-3 and heading into the 123rd minute, France forward Randal Kolo Muani raced through on goal and let fly with a shot that looked destined for the bottom corner of the net. Martinez made a remarkable stop with his outstretched left boot, though, to ensure the game went to penalties.
Martinez has also consistently impressed for club side Aston Villa over the past 18 months and has cemented his status as one of the Premier League’s pre-eminent goalkeepers.
After accepting the trophy in Paris, Martinez said: "My family supported me in this, Aston Villa and a lot of people in the Argentina side. It's been a dream throughout my life to play for the national side.
"People ask me what goalkeeper did you dream of as a child? I saw my mother cleaning buildings for eight hours a day, I saw my father working so hard - they are my idols."