“Arsenal sold him for just £17M and now he finished above Bukayo Saka and Odegard in the 2023 Balon d’Or ranking”- Arsenal great Patrick Vierra claims that Arsenal made a mistake by allowing their ‘big player’ to leave the club carelessly, and that he is now ranked higher than ALL Arsenal players.
“Arsenal sold him for just £17M and now he finished above Bukayo Saka and Odegard in the 2023 Balon d’Or ranking”- Arsenal great Patrick Vierra claims that Arsenal made a mistake by allowing their ‘big player’ to leave the club carelessly, and that he is now ranked higher than ALL Arsenal players.
STAR ARSENAL SOLD FOR £17M HAS JUST COMPLETED ABOVE BUKAYO SAKA & MARTIN ODEGAARD IN THE 2023 BALLON D’OR.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Arsenal trio Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard have been named to the 2023 Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Emiliano Martinez has made great progress in his career three years after Arsenal sold him to Aston Villa for £17 million (Sky Sports).
From becoming Aston Villa’s main goalkeeper, keeping 14 clean sheets in his first season at the club, to a return to Europe this summer.
But Emiliano Martinez has had the most international success, becoming Argentina’s indisputable number one and playing a major role in Argentina’s World Cup victory in Qatar in 2022.
As a result, the 31-year-old was ranked 15th for the Ballon d’Or 2023, ahead of his former Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka, who was ranked 24th.
While his captain, Martin Odegaard, finished 28th after scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal as they just missed out on the Premier League title.
For the 2023 Men’s Ballon d’Or, he is ranked 15th! pic.twitter.com/koOrjVSRsv @emimartinezz1@AVFCOfficial@Argentina#ballondor
— #ballondor (@ballondor) Ballon d’Or 30th of October, 2023
The emergence of Emiliano Martinez
Martinez failed to establish himself as Arsenal’s first choice for much of his career, largely playing a reserve role while loaning out on multiple occasions.
But the decision to go to Villa changed his life and career since it gave him a platform to sing and dance freely.
And he did so in a variety of ways, even if it did rile up the opposition, because his penalty heroics and stoppage-time saves at the World Cup have cemented his place in Argentinan football history.
