Emiliano Martínez Stays at Aston Villa After Move Collapses — World Cup Final 2022
Emiliano Martínez will stay at Aston Villa after his move away collapsed at the final hour, keeping the Argentina goalkeeper in place after a transfer saga that followed a public desire to leave. The world cup final 2022 winner is still on Villa's books, with his current terms set to expire in June 2029.
That is the sharpest current update in a wider check on Argentina’s 2022 World Cup final starting XI. Lionel Scaloni’s side beat France 3-3 after extra time and won their third World Cup when Gonzalo Montiel scored the decisive penalty, but the starting group has since spread across England, Spain, France and Argentina.
Martínez and Villa
Martínez played all seven matches for Argentina at the tournament and took home the Golden Glove award. At club level, though, his path looked set to change before the move unraveled at the last stage. Towards the end of the 2024/25 season, he had an emotional farewell with Villa fans as a departure was anticipated.
The collapse leaves Villa with its established No. 1 still under contract, and it shuts down a move that had been tied to Manchester United. For a player who had already said he wanted out, the outcome is a sharp reset rather than a clean break.
Atlético Madrid and Spurs
Nahuel Molina and Cristian Romero remain regulars in Europe. Molina started six out of seven games for Argentina in Qatar and had already joined Atlético Madrid just prior to the 2022 competition, where he has now made over 130 appearances across all competitions.
Romero has been at Spurs since the 2021 summer transfer window and started six out of seven games at the World Cup, missing the opener while returning from injury. He kept two clean sheets in the tournament and now serves as Spurs club captain, a different kind of stability from the uncertainty that surrounded Martínez.
Otamendi and Tagliafico
Nicolás Otamendi and Nicolás Tagliafico took different routes after Qatar but stayed central to the same title team’s story. Otamendi represented Benfica during the World Cup, played every single minute, and still came away with a winner’s medal even after committing the foul for the penalty that sparked France’s comeback.
After the tournament, he signed an 18-month contract at River Plate to fulfill a boyhood-club dream. Tagliafico, meanwhile, had moved from Ajax to Lyon just a few months before the 2022 World Cup and has stayed there ever since.
For Argentina’s final XI, the pattern is clear: some players settled quickly into long-term club roles, while Martínez’s situation turned on one failed exit and a return to Aston Villa. The World Cup final that ended 3-3 and was settled by Montiel’s penalty still defines the group, but their club futures now read very differently.
