Emi Martinez and his stunning Wag are BOOED mercilessly at Ballon d’Or ceremony by France fans
EMI MARTINEZ and his wife were mercilessly BOOED as they arrived at the Ballon d’Or.
But the Argentine, 32, had the last laugh as he defended the Yashin Trophy.
Reddit/ 7BET_UKEmiliano Martinez was booed on his way into the Ballon d’Or ceremony[/caption]
Reddit/ 7BET_UKThe goalkeeper arrived with his wife in Paris[/caption]
Reddit/ 7BET_UKThe Argentine looked pretty sullen and serious during the walk[/caption]
The pantomime villain is hated by French fans following his antics in the 2022 World Cup final.
Not only did he put in a superb performance and play his genius mind games in the penalty shootout, Martinez riled up the France supporters even more with his provocative celebration with the Golden Glove trophy.
However, Martinez was crowned Yachine Trophy winner in 2023 following his World Cup exploits.
And on his return to Paris on Monday night, he was given another hostile reception.
The Aston Villa stopper, decked out in a black tuxedo, headed down the red carpet holding hands with his glamorous partner Mandinha, who opted for a flowing red number.
However, the boos were clear to hear – and neither of them particularly seemed to see the funny side.
Martinez did give a brief thumbs-up – but whether that was genuine or a sarcastic response to someone out of shot was uncertain.
The couple then posed for photos before heading into the Theatre du Chatelet for the prestigious awards ceremony.
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And once inside, Martinez was confirmed as the world’s best goalkeeper for the second year running after helping Villa into the Champions League and winning the Copa America with Argentina.
He pipped the likes of Spain No1 Unai Simon, Real Madrid stopper Andriy Lunin and Gianluigi Donnarumma to become the first goalkeeper to defend the crown.
Who are these famous footballers?
I was West Ham captain but I almost went to jail over bankruptcy
I’m a former Man Utd star and I once stole a girl from Ronaldo
I’m an ex-Man Utd star – now I own a dog-themed B&B
I was Thierry Henry’s toughest opponent but quit to become a pastor
I’m a former Wolves striker but I left football behind to become a vicar
In the overall Ballon d’Or award, Martinez finished 18th in the vote – ahead of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Antonio Rudiger, Cole Palmer and others.
However, it was Rodri who collected the top men’s award after his exploits with Manchester City and helping Spain win Euro 2024.
Rodri beat Real Madrid trio Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal plus Erling Haaland and home-favourite Kylian Mbappe in the vote.
His compatriot Lamine Yamal came eighth but secured the Kopa Trophy for the best young player aged 21 or under.
The 17-year-old starred for Spain at the Euros and became the third Spaniard in four years to collect the gong – following Pedri, Gavi and then Bellingham.
In the Ballon d’Or Feminin for women’s football, it was more success for Spain as Aitana Bonmati collected her second trophy on the bounce.
GettyEmiliano and Mandinha posed for pictures on the red carpet[/caption]
AFPHe received the Yashin Trophy and was presented it by Argentine team-mate Lautaro Martinez[/caption]
GettyMartinez angered French fans with this celebration after the 2022 World Cup final[/caption]
Ballon d’Or 2024 results
1: Rodri, Man City and Spain
2: Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid and Brazil
3: Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid and England
4: Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid and Spain
5: Erling Haaland, Man City and Norway
6: Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid and France
7: Lautaro Martinz, Inter Milan and Argentina
8: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain
9: Toni Kroos, Real Madrid and Germany
10: Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England
11: Phil Foden, Man City and England
12: Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen and Germany
13: Dani Olmo, Barcelona and Spain
14: Ademola Lookman, Atalanta and Nigeria
15: Nico Williams, Athletic Bilbao and Spain
16: Granit Xhaka, Bayer Leverkusen and Switzerland
17: Federico Valverde, Real Madrid and Uruguay
18: Emi Martinez, Aston Villa and Argentina
19: Martin Odegaard, Arsenal and Norway
20: Hakan Calhanoglu, Inter Milan and Turkey
21: Bukayo Saka, Arsenal and England
22: Antonio Rudiger, Real Madrid and Germany
23: Ruben Dias, Man City and Portugal
24: William Saliba, Arsenal and France
25: Cole Palmer, Chelsea and England
26: Declan Rice, Arsenal and England
27: Vitinha, PSG and Portugal
28: Alejandro Grimaldo, Bayer Leverkusen and Spain
29: Mats Hummels, Roma and Germany
30: Artem Dovbyk, Roma and Ukraine
