The 30-year-old Argentine goalkeeper has been awarded the Golden Glove trophy following this year’s FIFA World Cup.
Martinez earned the prize, which is given to the most outstanding goalkeeper of the tournament, after Argentina won the shootout 4-2, to win the World Cup title at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Martinez became the first player to represent Argentina to win the Golden Glove. He was joined at the trophy ceremony by teammate Lionel Messi, who won the Golden Ball, as well as Enzo Fernandez, the winner of the Best Young Player award.
Martinez played a key role in Argentina’s dramatic final to win the country’s first world championship in 36 years.
The Aston Villa goalie, who had three clean sheets in the tournament, carried his team through extra time and a penalty shootout following a 2-2 tie in regulation. He brilliantly denied France’s Kingsley Coman with a diving left save in the performance.
After Argentina’s historic win, an emotional Martinez said, “We suffered a lot. We thought we were in control but they managed to come back. It was a very complicated game. Our destiny was to suffer. They had one last chance to win, luckily I was able to stop it with my foot.
“This is a moment I’ve always dreamed of living, I have no words for it. I left very young for England and I would like to dedicate this victory to my family.”
Martinez has been the goalkeeper for Aston Villa since 2020.
Last year, he helped his country to its first Copa America trophy since 1991.
The 28-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American Major League Baseball player has extended his streak of winning a Gold Glove Award in every season of his career on Sunday, when the Colorado Rockies star earned the award for National Leaguet hird basemen for the seventh consecutive year.
Arenado has won the award each year since he debuted in 2013. With this year’s win, he moved into sole possession of fourth place for the most Gold Glovesamong third basemen and just one behind Scott Rolenfor third place all time.
Only Baltimore Orioles legend Brooks Robinson, who won 16 Gold Gloves in a row from 1960 to ’75, and Mike Schmidt, who won 10, have more than Arenado. Robinson has the most Gold Gloves among all position players, but at just 28 years old, Arenado has a chance to catch him.
Kansas City Royals veteran Alex Gordon also won his seventh career Gold Glove, claiming the ALleft fielder award for the third straight year to move into a tie for 14th-most among outfielders.
2019 Gold Glove Winners
POS.
AL
NL
C
Roberto Perez, Indians
J.T. Realmuto, Phillies
1B
Matt Olson, Athletics
Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
2B
Yolmer Sanchez, White Sox
Kolten Wong, Cardinals
SS
Francisco Lindor, Indians
Nick Ahmed, Diamondbacks
3B
Matt Chapman, Athletics
Nolan Arenado, Rockies
LF
Alex Gordon, Royals
David Peralta, Diamondbacks
CF
Kevin Kiermaier, Rays
Lorenzo Cain, Brewers
RF
Mookie Betts, Red Sox
Cody Bellinger, Dodgers
P
Mike Leake, Mariners
Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks had four Gold Glove winners on their team this season, including both pitchers, Mike Leake and Zack Greinke, though the two never played with each other. Leake won the American League pitcher’s award for his time with the Seattle Mariners before Arizona acquired him at the trade deadline on July 31, the day the Diamondbacks dealt Greinke to the Houston Astros.
Shortstop Nick Ahmed, who won his second straight Gold Glove, and left fielder David Peraltawere the other Diamondbacks honored Sunday. Peralta was one of three National League outfielders who won their first Gold Gloves, joining the Milwaukee Brewers‘ Lorenzo Cain and the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Cody Bellinger.
The Oakland Athletics had a pair of winners, as first baseman Matt Olsonand third baseman Matt Chapman both won for the second straight season. The Cleveland Indians had two Gold Glovers in shortstop Francisco Lindor, who won the second of his career, and catcher Roberto Perez, a first-time winner.
The second baseman awards went to the Chicago White Sox‘s Yolmer Sanchez and the St. Louis Cardinals‘ Kolten Wong, who both won for the first time.
Also in the American League, Boston Red Soxright fielder Mookie Betts won for the fourth straight season, and Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier won his third career Gold Glove after a two-year absence.
In the National League, Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo won his third career Gold Glove and second in a row, while catcher J.T. Realmuto earned his first award in his first season with the Philadelphia Philliesafter a preseason trade from the Marlins.
Managers and up to six coaches per team vote for the awards in their league and cannot choose their own players. For the first time, the defensive index from the Society for American Baseball Research was used, and it comprised about 25% of the vote, with the managers and coaches ballots the rest.
The 32-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball right fielder, a longtime outfielder with the Colorado Rockies, has reportedly agreed to sign a one-year deal with the team, according to FanRag Sports.
The Rockies’ emotional leader and only holdover player from their 2009 postseason squad had his worst year statistically last season but closed strong, finishing with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs after struggling at the plate early.
Nicknamed CarGo, Gonzalez was hitting .214 in mid-July as he tinkered with his swing before he adjusted his grip on the bat. That, combined with visiting a sleep specialist to seek solutions to cure a bout of insomnia, paid quick dividends, with Gonzalez hitting .325 over August and September with eight of his 14 homers to help lead the Rockies to the postseason for the first time since 2009.
The Rockies had offered Gonzalez a lucrative four-year deal that was rejected last spring, USA Today reported. Gonzalez was in the final season of a seven-year, $80 million contract and gambled that he’d be able to get a better deal in free agency.
Gonzalez might have to split time with Gerardo Parra in right field. Charlie Blackmonis set in center field and Ian Desmond in left, but CarGo’s presence in the locker room has always been one of his biggest draws.
On Monday, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado told the Denver Post, “I think it would be safe to say that everyone here misses him, really badly. Don’t get me wrong, I think we have strong group of guys, but we miss CarGo’s energy and laughter. I know a lot of guys miss him — even if they won’t voice it — because we have talked about it since we all got here.
“CarGo kept things light. He was a good balance for guys like me; guys who are kind of serious. I mean, CarGo could be serious, but at the same time, he kept everyone loose.”
Talking about the possibility of bringing Gonzalez back, Arenado said, “It would be the greatest thing ever. That would be huge for us. Like I said, I think he’s a great player and I still think he can do some damage.”
Gonzalez was won three Gold Gloves, was the NL batting champ in 2010, made three All-Star squads and hit a career-high 40 homers in 2015. His numbers for the Rockies, where he has played for nine of his 10 seasons, include a .292 average with 211 homers and 685 RBIs.
Martinez earned the prize, which is given to the most outstanding goalkeeper of the tournament, after Argentina won the shootout 4-2, to win the World Cup title at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Martinez played a key role in Argentina’s dramatic final to win the country’s first world championship in 36 years.
