Emi Martinez has explained why he joined Arsenal, insisting the decision was financially motivated.
Emi Martinez joined Arsenal as a 17-year-old, making the move across the globe following a successful trial in 2009. Martinez had previously been playing for the youth team of Argentine side Independiente, and it wasn’t until July 2010 that he was formally registered with the Gunners.
The assumption might be that Martinez was drawn to Arsenal by the club’s footballing exploits in one of the biggest leagues in the world. But the goalkeeper explained this week that it was actually about the money.
“Many people don’t know that my family wasn’t doing well financially at the time, and I decided to come here to help them,” Martinez said (via Sport Witness).
“It wasn’t a football move: it was about helping my family. And I achieved that goal.”
Martinez’s Arsenal spell looks a bit odd in hindsight. The goalkeeper spent 11 years in north London through most of his twenties, going out on loan six times but often struggling for games even during those loan spells.
Yet Martinez is often considered to be among the world’s best goalkeepers today. It raises questions about why Arsenal didn’t decide to integrate him sooner, why the likes of Getafe left him on the bench, and why another club didn’t spot his potential and lure him away on the cheap.
Football development isn’t always linear though, and some players who seem to be stagnating can surprise you later on.
For Martinez, those 11 years evidently helped him to earn all the money he needed to help his family.