Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez was visibly emotional and broke down in tears as he waved goodbye to the fans following the victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Villans concluded their final home match of the season with a 2-0 win against the North London club.
Martinez, 32, secured a clean sheet in the match against the Europa League finalists.
However, after the final whistle, there was little sign of celebration from the Argentine keeper.
The Villa star was visibly teary-eyed as he applauded the home supporters.
The former Arsenal player has been linked with a potential departure from Villa Park, with Saudi Arabia frequently mentioned as a possible destination.
Speaking on Sky Sports, pundit Jamie Redknapp commented: “What a signing he has been. Amazing player, great goalkeeper, but it looks like he was waving goodbye. Trying to find someone to fill that void will be very difficult.”
Roy Keane added that he would be a “big loss.”
He continued: “He has been a good character, some people like him. He can be annoying at times with some of his antics. But he has been a great signing for them, he`ll be a big loss as it does look like he is saying his final goodbyes.”
When asked about the goalkeeper`s future during his post-match press conference, manager Unai Emery could not provide any definitive assurances that Martinez would remain at the club next season.
He stated: “We will see. Of course, it is the last match (of the season) here, and I don`t know. We will see about the team, the players. Of course, they are responding on the field, at the moment they are responding and they are so, so focused in how we are preparing and playing each match.”
Martinez has been a constant presence in the Villa squad since his £20 million move from Arsenal in 2020. He joined after having played only a few months of regular first-team football in the Premier League previously.
Since then, he has established himself as one of the top goalkeepers globally and won the World Cup in 2022. The goalkeeper also received the Yashin Trophy in 2023 and 2024.
Martinez also shared a photo on Instagram showing himself emotional while waving to the supporters.
He captioned the post: “Thank you for all your support this season. We finished strong at home but we got one more final to go.”
Emery also commented on Leon Bailey, who was also tearful at the end of the match.
He added: “Of course, Leon Bailey is playing now less because other players are responding very well. They are performing well. And we are going to play Manchester United for the last three points. And for us it will be very important again, to prepare, to be focused everybody. And of course, then we will see about everything, how we are going to try to get better for the next season.”
