Emiliano Martínez
Active- Denomination or tradition
- Catholic
- Current or last club
- Chelsea
- Country (nationality)
- Argentina
- League or competition
- Premier League
- Position
- Goalkeeper
- How is the religion known?
- Stated publicly by the player
- Last checked
- 7 October 2026
Martínez was seen with an image of Our Lady of Luján inside his shin guard.
We list a player’s religion only where they have spoken about it publicly or it has been reliably reported, and we link our sources. If something is wrong, or a player’s views have changed, please tell us and we will review it.
Table of Contents
What religion is Emiliano Martínez?
Emiliano Martínez is an Argentine professional footballer who is a Christian and practices the Catholic faith. As is common with many football stars from Argentina, Martínez was raised in a culturally Catholic environment and frequently expresses his Christian faith publicly. During his international tournaments with the Argentina National Football Team, he has been seen carrying an image of Our Lady of Luján, the patroness of Argentina, under his socks or keeping the religious image within the team locker room.
Martínez plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Chelsea and the Argentina national team. He is a product of the Club Atlético Independiente youth academy. In 2010, he joined the English Premier League club Arsenal before moving to Aston Villa in 2020 for a transfer worth £20 million. With Aston Villa, he won the UEFA Europa League. Chelsea then signed him in 2026 for £7.5 million.
Martínez’s personal achievements include winning the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award and being named the recipient of the Yashin Trophy for the world’s best-performing goalkeeper. He has also represented Argentina at various youth and senior levels, most notably anchoring his country to victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, winning consecutive Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, and reaching the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Early life
Emiliano Martínez was born on 2 September 1992 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, to parents Susana and Alberto Martínez. His paternal grandfather had emigrated from Spain to Argentina during the Franco regime. His father worked as a truck driver for a local fishing company, while his mother worked long shifts as a cleaner at construction sites and hotels to help support the family. He grew up alongside four siblings, including his brother Alejandro, who later became a competitive rally driver.
Martínez began his youth development with local clubs in Mar del Plata before entering the youth system of Club Atlético Independiente. In 2009, shortly after his 17th birthday and following standout performances for the Argentina under-17 national team, he was invited to undergo a trial with Premier League club Arsenal. The London-based club subsequently signed him to its youth academy structure in August 2010.
Arsenal
Following his transfer from Independiente, Martínez was initially assigned to Arsenal’s reserve squad. He made his senior competitive debut for the club on 26 September 2012, starting in a 6–1 League Cup victory over Coventry City. To secure regular first-team minutes, he underwent a series of six distinct loan spells across the English football pyramid and Spain, completing temporary tenures at Oxford United (2012), Sheffield Wednesday (2013–14), Rotherham United (2015), Wolverhampton Wanderers (2015–16), La Liga side Getafe (2017–18), and Reading (2019).
Martínez’s defining first-team breakthrough at Arsenal arrived during the 2019–20 campaign when an injury to starting goalkeeper Bernd Leno thrust him into the lineup. He delivered a string of elite performances to conclude the season as the starting goalkeeper, culminating in helping Arsenal secure the 2020 FA Cup title with a 2–1 victory over Chelsea. Across his ten-year tenure under contract with the Gunners, Martínez accumulated 16 clean sheets in 38 appearances across all competitions, winning three FA Cup medals and three FA Community Shields.
Aston Villa
On 16 September 2020, Emiliano Martínez joined Aston Villa from Arsenal in a transfer worth an initial £20 million, signing a four-year contract and quickly establishing himself as the first-choice goalkeeper. In the 2020–21 Premier League season, Martínez made 36 appearances and kept a club-record 15 clean sheets, a campaign that earned him the Aston Villa Supporters’ Player of the Season award.
During the 2022–23 season, he recorded 11 clean sheets in 36 league outings, positioning him as a Golden Glove contender as Villa secured a seventh-place finish.
Over his six-season tenure at Villa Park, Martínez made 213 appearances across all competitions and helped the club qualify for European football on multiple occasions. This run culminated in a successful 2025–26 campaign under manager Unai Emery, where he helped lead the team to the UEFA Europa League title.
Despite signing a long-term contract extension running until June 2029, his starting role came under threat in August 2026 following the arrival of Japan international goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma in a deal worth up to €35 million. Faced with a reduced role, Martínez subsequently negotiated a permanent transfer away from the club that same month.
Chelsea
On 30 August 2026, Martínez signed for Chelsea for £7.5 million on a three-year contract. He made his debut on the same day in a 4–3 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, taking over the club’s iconic No. 1 shirt.
International career
Martínez represented Argentina at the under-17 and under-20 levels before making his senior international debut in 2021. He was Argentina’s starting goalkeeper as the team won the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 Finalissima. He went on to play a defining role during Argentina’s successful 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar. He delivered critical penalty shootout saves against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and blocked two more attempts against France in the final to secure the world title, earning the tournament’s Golden Glove award.
Martínez continued his elite international form by helping Argentina retain the Copa América title in 2024. He was subsequently selected as the starting goalkeeper for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, where he kept four clean sheets as Argentina advanced to the final, ultimately finishing as tournament runners-up behind Spain.
Personal life
Martínez married Amanda Martínez, whom he met in London in 2013. The couple has two children together.
Emiliano Martínez is widely known by the nickname “Dibu,” which originated during his youth days at Independiente when his goalkeeping coach, Miguel Ángel Santoro, remarked on his resemblance to the titular cartoon character from the Argentine 1990s animated series Mi familia es un dibujo.
Sources
Sources are linked so you can check each claim yourself. Beliefs and public statements can change, so please check the source for the latest.
