A Historic Former Goalkeeper Criticizes Dibu: 'he's Not Even Top 10 in the World'

Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez has won many awards since he joined the national team back in 2021. His meteoric rise in the considerations of Scaloni's coaching staff, as well as the titles won at the national team level since his debut (Copa América 2021 and 2024, Finalissima 2022, and World Cup 2022), made him more than deserving of many individual accolades, including The Best in 2022 and 2024, the Yashin Trophy in 2023 and 2024, and the Golden Gloves in Copa América and the World Cup.

Despite his evident individual and collective results, not everyone considers him among the best in the world, and among them is Edwin Van Der Sar, historic goalkeeper of the Netherlands and Manchester United. In his interview with Goal, the Dutch goalkeeper was asked if he preferred Alisson or Dibu, choosing the Liverpool goalkeeper without hesitation.

"I don't think Martínez is in the top 10 of the best goalkeepers in the world currently. For penalties, yes, for sure. But he's in the top 20", stated the former goalkeeper. He also placed Thibaut Courtois, from Real Madrid, and Manuel Neuer, from Bayern Munich, among the best currently.

Dibu's Current Situation:

The world champion goalkeeper has been performing well at Aston Villa. His solid performances and key saves have helped the team currently be with one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals after their 3-1 victory against Brugge in the first leg of the round of 16.

In the local scene, his team is currently 10th, very close to qualifying for international cup spots with several matches still to be played, while in the FA Cup, they are qualified for the quarter-finals to face Preston from the Second Division.

The upcoming matches are very important for Dibu, including the second leg with the Belgian club and the difficult double qualifying date against Uruguay and Brazil. Although he doesn't have to prove anything, these matches will be a good opportunity to justify his excellent level and quality to all his detractors.