Dibu Martínez: More excited for this World Cup than the last | OneFootball

Just two days before the 2026 World Cup draw, at the Summit One skyscraper in New York, the AFA held the event “AFA as a Global Brand, The Power of a Brand.” Emiliano Martínez was featured there, expressing clear optimism ahead of the next World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Dibu shared his desire to play in the World Cup through a video call from England: “It’s not just me—most of those who have played in a World Cup have that bug in their stomach, which is hard to explain, but I’m even more excited for this one than for the last.”

The goalkeeper then emphasized the importance of being part of the Albiceleste: “Winning individual titles or with my club is like the cherry on top, but the whole dessert of my career has always been playing with the Argentina National Team. When I play for the National Team, I feel like the ball just won’t go in; I have the whole country and my family behind me.”

The Mar del Plata native also had a great back-and-forth with another legendary goalkeeper of the National Team, Sergio Goycochea, who hosted the event and spoke in front of more than 200 guests, all connected to the sports world. Finally, Dibu reflected on his physical performance at 33 years old: “For me, it goes beyond that. I have a privileged physique; I can play again after two days. You’re going to play 60 matches as if there wasn’t a World Cup at the end of the season, because otherwise, it’s hard to perform at 100%.”

While waiting for the World Cup, Martínez is having a great season with Aston Villa. His saves and leadership have helped the Villans reach fourth place in the Premier League with 24 points and become the second-least-scored-upon team in the competition, with 11 goals conceded in 13 matches (Arsenal leads the statistic with seven goals against).

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