Lionel Messi, winning his first World Cup with Argentina after so many years, was the biggest story of the tournament. However, there was another player on the team who made his name for his consistent performances and mind games. It was star goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. In the Netflix documentary ‘Captains of the World‘, he explained the mind games used to win the trophy.

These mind games played a critical role in the knockout games when the team played in penalty shootouts. Moreover, Martinez’s dark arts led to FIFA making an enormous change for the goalkeepers.

Emiliano Martinez explains the secret behind his mind games against the opponent

When Argentina won the World Cup through a penalty shootout, Lionel Messi hugged and thanked Emiliano Martinez. The gesture from one of the best players in the world indicates the tournament the goalkeeper had. In the last few years, the 31-year-old has become an essential part of the team. His saves turned out to be game-winning stops in the tournament. But what got the fans talking on social media were his mind games during penalty shootouts. He spoke about it in the latest Netflix documentary. The World Cup winner said, “Goalkeeping is all your mind. It’s about visualizing what happened. The box is mine. It’s my box; it’s my place.”

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He made the box his paradise, especially in the semi-final against the Netherlands and France in the final. Both games went to penalties. However, the La Albiceleste star goalkeeper made crucial saves in the shootout to win the game. In both penalty shootouts, we saw him intimidating the opposition. It worked in his favor as the opposition fluffed in crucial moments.

In the end, FIFA noticed his mind-game tactics. It led to them making changes to the rules during penalties. But the World Cup winner was satisfied that the change happened after the tournament.

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Martinez mocked FIFA for changing the rules

After the World Cup ended, FIFA announced fresh rules for goalkeepers during the penalties. One of them was that the goalkeeper could not intimidate or distract the kicker by kicking the goalposts and net. The media immediately asked the Yashin Trophy winner about his reactions to the rule change. But the Argentinian had a funny answer.

Emiliano Martinez pointed out that it was too late for them to change the rules. The goalkeeper said they already won the World Cup, which did not affect the Aston Villa goalkeeper now. In the end, the World Cup winner said he would continue to do his best for the national team.

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Emiliano Martinez is certainly a person that his fans will love, and his opponents will hate him. What was your favorite moment of his during the World Cup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.