The city’s passionate football fans came together to welcome Emiliano Martinez, the World Cup winning goalkeeper of Argentina, who came calling at Mohun Bagan, the oldest football club in Asia.
Some five thousand odd members and ardent fans gathered to witness their favourite ‘Dibu’ who had helped Argentina lift its third World Cup in December 2022 in Qatar.
Martinez was visibly elated by the overwhelming reception he received. He spread his arms in acknowledgement before saying “I love you Kolkata.” Reflecting the confidence and the self-belief that saw him stop France from winning back-to-back World Cups, Martinez said that, “We have a group of tigers in the team (and) we are going to win it again”.
His assurance came in the form of a repartee when he was asked by the presenter about the possibility of playing without (Lionel) Messi in the next World Cup. There was a thunderous applause to the response as Martinez could sense the pulse of the crowd, more than half of which was draped in Argentina jerseys with ‘Messi’ written on the back. “When I come to places like this, I realise the importance of winning the World Cup,” said Martinez who could not suppress his delight.
Mohun Bagan, which has previously hosted two of the brightest luminaries of World football - Pele and Diego Maradona - presented the club colours to Martinez. The towering goalkeeper accepted the offering with a smile and immediately put on the green-and-maroon jersey before taking a tour around the ground as the stadium reverberated with chants of ‘Dibu, Dibu’.
The star goalkeeper reciprocated the enthusiasm of his hosts despite being put to a grueling schedule through the day. Earlier in the day, the Argentine had to be rescued by the Police after his car was mobbed by eager supporters in another part of the city.
“To see so many people cheering for you, and Argentina is a joy,” he said as he inaugurated the Kolkata Police Friendship Cup.
Fans carrying a replica of FIFA World Cup as they wait for Emiliano Martinezto arrive. | Photo Credit: AP
“This is not the end and I hope to come back to India to play with Argentina and Messi,” said Martinez to set the roar from the galleries to a crescendo.
When asked if he had ever stopped a Messi penalty. Martinez said, “Yes I have, in practice matches. We used to practice a lot before the World Cup as we knew there would be a penalty shootout at some point in time. So there’s no better way to prepare for it than stopping Messi’s shots,” he said. “That’s how I became a better goalkeeper. By denying Messi from scoring a penalty I knew I could stop anyone,” he added.
“From a very young age, I had a dream to become Argentina’s number one goalkeeper. I am not going to relax now, I want to become better and win many, many tournaments for Argentina,” Martinez said.
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