Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has criticised Emi Martinez for his ‘gesture’ after he picked up the Golden Glove award at the Qatar World Cup.

Arsenal fans know all about Emi Martinez.

A player who was at the club for 10 years who demanded he be made first-choice keeper after a run of 10 games, he was sold to Aston Villa in 2020 for around £15m.

Sure, he’s gone on to prove himself with Villa and Argentina, but at the time, there was no way his demands could be met at Arsenal.

Since he left, Martinez has given a series of interviews, many of which sought to rewrite his time at the club.

As a result, a player who could have left Arsenal as a bit of a cult hero, has turned nearly all the fanbase against him.

It is with those people in mind that I bring you Patrick Vieira’s quotes about him.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of Palace’s game against Fulham, Vieira was asked about Martinez’s gesture, which offended many.

“Some of the pictures I saw from the Argentinian goalkeeper, I think, take away a little bit what Argentina achieved at the World Cup,” Vieira said.

“I don’t think they really needed that. You can’t control sometimes people’s emotional decisions. But that was a stupid decision, I think, from Martinez to do that.”

Aston Villa face Liverpool on Boxing Day, although it is unclear if Martinez will be in the starting lineup. It seems likely he will not return until Villa’s next match, which is against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day.