Angel Di Maria has finally opened up about THAT legendary Emi Martinez save in the World Cup 2022 final. It has been more than eight months since Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final. In what was one of the craziest matches ever, Lionel Messi’s Argentina reigned supreme. However, there was a moment in the final when the South Americans nearly missed out on the coveted trophy again.
Despite taking a 2-0 lead in the first half of the final, Kylian Mbappe led the French resurgence with his quickfire brace. Both Messi and Mbappe again scored in the extra time, making the score 3-3. However, in the dying seconds of the extra time, France’s Randal Kolo Muani found himself 1-v-1 in front of the Argentine goal. Nine times out of ten, you can bet that Kolo Muani’s fierce shot ended up in the back of the net.
Ángel Di María on Emiliano’s save: “I don’t even want to see that again, not even in photos. I don't know how Dibu saved that ball. We had God on our side, it was our moment.” @DSportsRadio 🗣️🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/f6tptR7u3f
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) August 24, 2023
Emi Martinez, however, said NOT TODAY! The Argentine goalkeeper pulled out a magnificent save to keep his country’s World Cup dreams alive. During this moment, nearly every 45 million Argentines had their hearts in their mouth, and Angel Di Maria was no stranger to it. Speaking about the save in an interview with D SportsRadio, Di Maria said, “I don’t even want to see that again, not even in photos.“
Emi Martinez also decided to get a tattoo of World cup trophy 🏆.
He tatooed the leg that made that last minute save against France. pic.twitter.com/Ju3dTz5M1D
— Wahabzy💙♥️ (@WsportTV) December 26, 2022
He added, “I don’t know how Dibu (Emi) saved that ball. We had God on our side, it was our moment.” Both Di Maria and Emi Martinez played a vital role in securing Argentina’s victory. While Emi Martinez went on to make an important save in the penalty shootout, Di Maria scored Argentina’s second goal. Currently, Martinez has even got the World Cup trophy inked on the part of his leg which he used to save Kolo Muani’s shot.
Angel Di Maria reveals the truth about offers from Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, Angel Di Maria also revealed the truth about the huge offer he received from Saudi Arabia. The 35-year-old star left Juventus at the end of the last season. Although there were lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia, Di Maria turned down the chance of playing with his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle Eastern country.
🚨 Ángel Di María: “They called me from Saudi Arabia, I had many calls from them. The numbers they are offering are crazy, but I chose with my heart, I wanted to return to Benfica.” @DSportsRadio 🫶🇸🇦🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/R8FmGUWkFa
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) August 24, 2023
The Argentine forward instead made a return to his former club Benfica. Speaking about his decision, Di Maria explained, “They called me from Saudi Arabia, I had many calls from them. The numbers they are offering are crazy, but I chose with my heart, I wanted to return to Benfica.” The former Manchester United star had played for Benfica from 2007 to 2010.
Angel Di Maria has previously won two Taca da Liga titles and one Premier Liga title with the Portuguese club. Most recently, he won the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira or the Portuguese Super Cup against Porto earlier this month, scoring a goal in the final.
