Long way from Hillsborough - Former Sheffield Wednesday man on brink of World Cup glory with Lionel Messi

Only Liam Palmer remains at Wednesday from that day when Martin Paterson and Adam Clayton meant that Connor Wickham’s second half goal was only a consolation, and it’s safe to say that Martinez has gone on to bigger and better things.

After penalty heroics from himself in the quarterfinals, and a Lionel Messi masterclass in the semifinals, in less than 10 years the 30-year-old has gone from S6 to the greatest stage of them all the – the World Cup final.

Martinez played 15 games for Wednesday whilst on loan from Arsenal in the 2013/14 campaign, keeping two clean sheets and winning six of them in what was a largely forgettable mid-table season for Stuart Gray’s Owls.

He spent most of the campaign playing second fiddle to experience goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland, but did get the chance to show his mettle on a number of occasions before making his final appearance on the last day of the season in a 2-1 defeat away at Ipswich Town.

Since then he’s gone on to play for the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Getafe and Reading, but has come into his own since joining Aston Villa in 2020 and becoming La Albiceleste’s undisputed number one.

After his penalty saves against the Netherlands it was Messi – arguably the greatest footballer of all time - who ran over to celebrate with him, but some would argue that it doesn’t compare to high-fiving Palmer after playing his part in a victory over Jamie Vardy’s Leicester City a decade ago.

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