FIFA code – Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez built his reputation on psychological tricks that unsettled opponents, from childhood games in Mar del Plata to high-stakes moments in Qatar 2022. After FIFA introduced a code of conduct for goalkeepers in penalty shootouts—and after M
When Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez was a boy in Mar del Plata. a seaside resort south of Buenos Aires. he already knew how to get under an opponent’s skin. One of his first coaches. Jorge Peta. recalled that Martínez would deliberately give up rebounds if he didn’t feel like he was being tested enough—pushing attackers into taking more shots. and more of them. while he played games of his own.
Peta also said Martínez was “already known for talking a lot.”
That temperament followed him into the sport’s brightest spotlight. where his ability to rattle attackers and sharpen his focus for penalties made him a World Cup hero. In Argentina’s final against France at Qatar 2022, he denied Randal Kolo Muani a late goal with a stunning save. He also earned a reputation for a sixth sense in penalty shootouts—one that has come with a cost. and not just to opponents.
Excessive celebrations and a strategy of distracting rivals before penalty kicks led to sanctions. FIFA later stepped in with a goalkeeper code of conduct for penalty shootouts that targets psychological games. Under the rules. goalkeepers are prohibited from psychological tactics. from using methods to delay a penalty kick. and from speaking or gesturing to distract the kicker.
Even some supporters of Martínez’s fire have had to accept that it can spill into controversy. Lionel Messi called him “fundamental” for Argentina and “one of the best goalkeepers in the world.” But critics have never been hard to find. Italian coach Fabio Capello and Edwin Van der Sar—legendary former goalkeeper for Ajax and Manchester United—are among the skeptics. Emmanuel Petit, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, suggested Martínez get help to control his emotions.
Martínez, 33, responded to the noise in an interview with ESPN in May 2025. “What people think doesn’t affect me. They can have all their opinions. good or bad. but I know who I am. the kind of person I am. ” he said. “Off the field. I’m a dad. a husband. a son. but on the field. I just want to win. nothing else.”.
Argentina’s next challenge begins with the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, which kicks off on June 11. Martínez is set to return to the big stage with the Albiceleste.
For many fans, however, the start of his rise doesn’t feel like the usual story of an established star. Martínez was relatively unknown until he was picked for Argentina.
He left as a teenager for Arsenal and never established himself as the starting goalkeeper. He was then loaned out to lower-tier clubs including Oxford, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, and Reading. Still, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lionel Scaloni called him up to the senior national team.
He made his debut in June 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Chile. “I am sorry, but I will stop you, bro,” he told Colombian defender Davinson Sánchez before stopping the first of the three penalties he would save in the 2021 Copa América semifinal, which Argentina would later win.
His penalty mastery carried into the World Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands in a match that became known as “the Battle of Lusail”—named after the stadium in Qatar. Martínez used his imposing height and distracting tricks to make diving saves to Virgil van Dijk’s first penalty and then to Steven Berghuis’ attempt. He celebrated with a dance that would later be imitated by Argentine children.
The most famous test came in the final against France at Qatar 2022. Argentina led three times, and Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick to force a penalty shootout. Martínez stood his ground, deflecting Kingsley Coman’s shot. When it was Aurélien Tchouaméni’s turn, Martínez tossed the ball away to delay the penalty kick. Tchouaméni ultimately lost the mental battle and shot wide.
Afterward, Martínez’s saves were only part of the story. There was also his controversial gesture with the trophy for the tournament’s best goalkeeper.
In a 2023 interview with Argentina’s public television channel, Martínez said, “I didn’t plan to come back sad (from the World Cup), that was my only goal.” He added, “In my mind, I wouldn’t have accepted playing football if I had lost the final. I wouldn’t have been able to because of the pain.”
Still, FIFA’s response turned that emotional intensity into a rulebook problem. In the wake of the World Cup, FIFA implemented a code of conduct for goalkeepers. It prohibits psychological games, tactics to delay a penalty kick, and speaking or gesturing to distract the kicker.
Then, in 2024, FIFA suspended Martínez for two matches for offensive behavior and violations of fair play principles during the matches against Chile and Colombia in the South American World Cup qualifiers.
His return to the tournament is now being framed as a matter of sport over spectacle. Coach Scaloni has confirmed Martínez as his goalkeeper for the upcoming World Cup, and he enters the competition more firmly established as Aston Villa’s goalkeeper, fresh off winning the Europa League.
There is also the matter of health. Martínez fractured the ring finger of his right hand in the final against Freiburg, but he is expected to be available for the World Cup opener on June 16 against Algeria in Group J. The group also includes Austria and Jordan.
Scaloni said, “Everything else is part of his personality, and that’s that. We focus on the purely sporting aspect.”
As the tournament approaches, Martínez’s presence still reaches beyond the pitch. On the eve of the World Cup, his No. 23 jersey is one of the most sought-after, alongside Messi’s No. 10, a sign—at least to many Argentine fans—of where affection for him has settled.
Martínez has continued to dismiss criticism and aim for legacy instead. “The most important thing we take away from this is that Argentina will have many goalkeepers in the future,” he said. “The love for goalkeeping has returned.”
The World Cup is set to begin on June 11, and for Martínez, the question isn’t only whether he can stop shots. It’s whether the instincts that once made him a legend—talking, delaying, and disrupting—will survive the boundaries FIFA has now drawn around penalty shootouts.
Emiliano Martínez Dibu Martínez FIFA code of conduct goalkeeper penalties Argentina World Cup Qatar 2022 Lionel Messi Aston Villa World Cup 2026 qualifiers Mar del Plata