Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez reaffirmed his status as the best goalkeeper in the world this Monday, October 28 at the Ballon d'Or gala. The Argentine goalkeeper, who received the award a year ago for his role in the Qatar World Cup, took home his second consecutive Yashin Trophy after being key in Aston Villa's great season and in the championship won by the albiceleste in the Copa América.
In this way, the South American became the first goalkeeper to be recognized with this award for the second time since its first edition in 2019. To date, the award has been given to Alisson Becker (2019), Gianluigi Donnarumma (2021), Thibaut Courtois (2022) and Martínez himself in 2023 and 2024.
The emotion of the 'Dibu' when collecting the award
Upon stepping up to the podium, the 'Dibu' dedicated some heartfelt words to all those who helped him lift the trophy. "Thank you very much to everyone, it's an honor to be here again. Thanks to my teammates from the national team and Aston Villa, who know how demanding I am to continue improving," the Argentine began by saying.
"I come from a small town and I always remember that to keep improving myself individually and as a group. It's fantastic, it's been a dream of mine since I started playing. Coming to England, being able to play for the national team and winning it once is amazing, I couldn't have imagined the second time," he concluded.