Navarro Montoya's bold Boca plan: “I’m going for Dibu Martínez” | OneFootball

Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez already knows what it’s like to play at La Bombonera and feel the passion of the Boca faithful behind him. He has played there wearing the Argentina national team jersey in several World Cup qualifiers and international friendlies. With the next transfer window getting closer, a Boca legend allowed himself to dream about his arrival and even came up with an ambitious plan to try to convince him.

Even though Leandro Brey has been doing well since stepping into the team on short notice following Agustín Marchesín’s serious ligament injury, Carlos Navarro Montoya — a multiple-title winner with the Xeneize and an authoritative voice in the position — made it clear that Juan Román Riquelme and company will have to make moves to strengthen Claudio Úbeda’s squad with a goalkeeper of top quality and vast experience.

For “El Mono,” there is no debate over who should be Boca’s No. 1 in the second half of the year, just when the Copa Libertadores knockout rounds will begin: «Boca is a place of excellence. If Boca has to go after a starting goalkeeper, I have no doubts: I get on a plane, land in London, make the connection to Birmingham, and go get Dibu Martínez».

Although the idea may seem far-fetched, more like an impossible dream than a concrete reality, the former goalkeeper revealed that he would make the attempt: “I’d sit down and have coffee with him, ask him what he’s going to do with his life, what he plans to do, because he’s been in Europe for many years. His wife is Portuguese, and he’s lived in England for many years. He has a life built there in England, but I’d ask him...”.

And he concluded on the program Directo al Hueso about Dibu, who is in the Europa League semifinals with Aston Villa (they lost the first leg 1-0 to Nottingham Forest and will decide qualification this Thursday) and will then turn his focus to the World Cup with Argentina: “If the challenge is there, I’d propose that he come to Boca”.

As for his future, the Argentine hero is under contract with the Villans until June 2029 and, as happens in every transfer window, several major European clubs will have their eyes on him. At the beginning of the year, he was close to becoming Manchester United’s new signing. At the same time, back in 2024, he turned down the Xeneize: «My return is very difficult because of the goals I still want to achieve, but you never know. I wouldn’t play for Boca, River, or any other club in Argentina. Only for Independiente”.

And, so as not to give false hope in Avellaneda, he all but ruled out a return to the country: “Very difficult. If I wanted to come back, I’d want to come back at my best, like I am now. I think those last bullets are slipping away».

Dibu’s path and Boca’s could have crossed in his childhood, when he was just 10 years old and had left his native Mar del Plata to try out wearing Boca colors. However, just like at River, he was rejected: “They told me they already had other good goalkeepers. I was young, I still had to improve».

He never got the chance to play at Brandsen 805, but he did take the opportunity to praise the constant support of Boca’s fans: «The best crowd is in Argentina. Any fanbase in Argentina could be the best, but I think Boca Juniors’ is above the rest».

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.