Aston Villa boss Unai Emery to speak with keeper Emi Martinez over World Cup celebrations

Martinez has become the subject of a formal complaint from the French FA for his taunting of Kylian Mbappe in the aftermath of Argentina’s penalty shoot-out win in the final of Qatar 2022.

Emery will sit down with Martinez when he returns to Bodymoor Heath next week but while the Villa boss acknowledged the 30-year-old may have taken things a little too far, he insisted the main focus of the discussion will be on his performances at the tournament.

He explained: “We can’t know really how they happened, matches, moments. You can win when you are in the highest emotion possible, it is difficult maybe to control.

“I want to speak with him next week but I am thinking more about his performance and his win than his celebration.

“The celebration is for the supporters, with really big emotions. It’s not really a good moment as a coach to identify why.

“I prefer to be focused on how he performed and how he is going to win with us afterwards. I am going to speak with him because I want to control him about that as well, his emotions.”

French FA president Noel Le Graet has written to his Argentine counterpart, Claudio Tapia, to complain about Martinez’s behaviour claiming he had taken things "too far".

The keeper, who saved Kingsley Coman’s spot-kick as Argentina triumphed 4-2 in the shoot-out following a thrilling 3-3 draw, first called for a “moment’s silence” for France’s hat-trick hero Mbappe during dressing room celebrations.

He then carried round a doll with the Paris Saint-Germain striker’s face tied to it while on a public parade back in Argentina.

Martinez also drew criticism for a lewd celebration after being given the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Asked if it was important for players to behave with dignity, Emery replied: “Yes, we have to have values. We have to focus the behaviour with us, when we are together and with the opposition players.

“We can speak 90 per cent about very good things, to be very proud of him for his performance, for his win. It is more than small details like celebrations, like some issues or circumstances.”

Controversy aside, Martinez is returning to Villa a star of world football and Emery, who previously worked with the keeper at Arsenal, said: “It is amazing. He is progressing a lot and is so ambitious.

“When I knew him at Arsenal he was telling me in that moment I want to be the first goalkeeper of Argentina. He achieved it.

“The last time I met with him here I was talking about his ambition and he told me he wanted to be the best goalkeeper in the world.

“I want players like that. I want players being ambitious, professional every day and thinking to learn and be better.”