Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dan Marsh

Emi Martinez brutally trolls Kylian Mbappe again during World Cup celebrations

Emiliano Martinez has brutally mocked France forward Kylian Mbappe with a toy baby as Argentina continue to celebrate their World Cup win.

Mbappe and Lionel Messi stole the show during Sunday's epic finale at the Lusail Stadium, but Martinez was the hero for Lionel Scaloni's side when the scores were level at 3-3 after extra-time.

The Aston Villa shot-stopper, who starred in the penalty shootout win over the Netherlands in the quarter-final, produced another shootout masterclass as Argentina edged out the defending world champions in dramatic fashion.

Remarkably, Martinez made even more headlines after the match: the 30-year-old celebrated his Golden Glove award win with a lewd gesture in front of Qatari officials before he took aim at Mbappe during Argentina's rowdy dressing room celebrations.

A clip showed La Albiceleste's shootout hero asking for "a minute of silence" for Mbappe - less than an hour after he had consoled the Paris Saint-Germain striker, who netted a hat-trick in the final, on the pitch.

And eagle-eyed fans watching Argentina's open-top bus parade in Buenos Aires spotted Martinez, who was topless and stood next to Messi, holding a toy baby which was complete with a nappy and a picture of Mbappe's face stuck on its head.

The Argentina ace's latest swipe at Mbappe could make things awkward for Messi. He and Mbappe were on opposing sides in the World Cup final, but Argentina's talisman is set to reunite with the French forward at PSG next month when the French domestic campaign resumes.

Martinez's mischievous act comes just over 24 hours after the shot-stopper explained that he thrust his Golden Glove award to his groin because he was jeered by French fans. He told La Red radio: “I did it because the French booed me. Pride does not work with me.”

Join the debate! What do you make of Martinez' latest jab at Mbappe? Let us know here.

Emiliano Martinez has once again mocked Kylian Mbappe following Argentina's World Cup win (Twitter)

Martinez had the last laugh after Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni succumbed to his mind games during the shootout. Coman's effort was smothered before Tchouameni dragged his effort wide after Martinez had delayed his spot-kick by throwing the ball away from the Real Madrid youngster.

ITV pundit Roy Keane condemned Martinez' actions during the shootout and insisted that nobody wanted to see that type of behaviour.

But Keane's former Manchester United teammate, Gary Neville, who was also on punditry duty, insisted that referee Szymon Marciniak should have intervened and reprimanded Martinez earlier in the shootout. Martinez was eventually booked, but the damage had already been done.

"He always seems to go the right way," Neville said of the Villa star after the finale. "He was messing with the France players’ heads unbelievably, to be fair, and the referee should have stamped it out. But this Argentina team will do anything to win."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.