Emiliano Martínez
Squad number 15 · Palmeiras
Their 2026 World Cup
Emiliano Martínez travelled to the 2026 World Cup with Uruguay, wearing number 15, without ever getting on the pitch. His side played 3 matches (2 draws and 1 defeat) and bowed out in the group stage (Group H), beaten by Spain 1-0.
Midfield went to R. Bentancur (3 matches, 270′) and M. Araújo (3 matches, 252′).
Another 7 players in the Uruguay squad ended up the same way, without a single minute. The full run is on the Uruguay team page.
Biography
Damián Emiliano Martínez Romero (born 2 September 1992), also known as Dibu Martínez, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Argentina national team. Known as a specialist in saving penalty kicks, he is often regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Martínez trained at Independiente's youth ranks before moving to Premier League club Arsenal in 2010. At Arsenal, he initially served as understudy, being loaned to various clubs, before breaking into the starting line-up in 2019, featuring in the Premier League and helping the club win an FA Cup and FA Community Shield. In September 2020, Martínez moved to fellow Premier League club Aston Villa in a transfer worth £20 million. In his first season at the club, he kept a club-record fifteen clean sheets in the Premier League, and he won the UEFA Europa League in his sixth season. Martínez represented Argentina in junior international matches from 2009 to 2011, playing on under-17 and under-20 levels.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · text adapted from the article.
See all the tournament stats on the World Cup data hub.
Photo: Bryan Berlin · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)