HE NEEDS A PSYCHIATRIST— EX-ARSENAL STAR SLAMS EMI MARTINEZ FOR PROVOKING FRENCH FANS

Former Chelsea midfielder was highly critical of Emiliano Martínez for the Argentine’s antics ahead of the Champions League fixture between PSG and Aston Villa.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder, Emmanuel Petit criticised Emiliano Martinez for being a provocateur ahead of Aston Villa’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.

What happened

Martinez has had a fractious relationship with French football fans stemming from his antics during and after the 2022 World Cup, in which his Argentina defeated France to win the tournament.

He was subjected to boos during the group phase of the tournament when he travelled with Aston Villa to face Lille. Ahead of the quarter-final clash against PSG, Martinez came prepared, donning an Argentina national team cap, with the four trophies he has won with them embroidered in.

Petit, the former Les Bleus star, saw Martinez’s act of provocation and derided him for always going out of bounds.

“I blame Martínez for going too far,” Petit said, per GFFN. “Enough is enough.

“I’m the first to accept that teasing is part of football and life in general, but it shouldn’t constantly descend into denigration; it shouldn’t be disrespectful; it shouldn’t descend into harassment.”

“We have the impression that in every match, we expect something out of bounds from him… I think he’s a very good goalkeeper, and he doesn’t need to give himself extreme motivation. But everywhere he goes, he leaves an exasperating image of his behaviour.”

“He recently said in an interview that he never goes too far… The boy needs to undergo psychotherapy, to see a psychiatrist because we don’t have the same definition of what is out of bounds. This guy, frankly, needs to learn to control himself emotionally.”

Martinez let in three goals in the game at the Parc des Princes, as his Villa side lost 3-1. They will host Luis Enrique’s team at Villa Park next week for the return fixture.