Argentina hero slammed for obscene gesture in Qatar World Cup celebrations

The entire world is applauding Lionel Messi, but aside from the enigmatic captain, goalkeeper Emi Martinez was one of the biggest heroes for Argentina as they defeated France 4-2 on penalties in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final at the Lusail Stadium in Doha on Sunday. However, despite his heroics between the sticks, Martinez has attracted criticism for his antics during the awarding ceremony.

Apart from lifting the World Cup trophy, a number of players also received individual awards. Martinez picked up the "Golden Glove" for his performance as the tournament's best keeper. Unfortunately, he decided to make an obscene gesture once he got his hands on the award.

In front of thousands of fans inside the stadium and millions of fans watching live across the globe, Martinez held the trophy to his crotch and gestured with it as if the giant golden hand was there in place of his genitals. Photos and videos have since gone viral, wherein one of the Qatari officials could be seen looking at him with discomfort.

Needless to say, people have started talking about his gesture almost as much as his impressive performance on the pitch.

Argentina maintained a two-goal lead for most of the match before France equalised in the final quarter of regular time. The match went into extra time, with neither side finding the winning breakthrough. Extra time ended level on 3-3, and it would have been heartbreaking for Argentina to lose a match they dominated for the most part, but they pulled through when it came to penalties.

France keeper Hugo Lloris was stellar during the match itself, especially with Argentina dominating the offence. However, his powers ran out in the end, as he failed to save a single Argentine shot from the spot.

Meanwhile, Martinez had a relatively quiet match, but he brought out the heroics when it mattered. He made a crucial save in the closing minutes of the match to save Argentina their blushes. Then, when it came down to penalties, he was no match for Kylian Mbappe but he managed to save Kingsley Coman's attempt and force Frenchman Aurelien Tchouameni to shoot just outside the post to give Argentina the advantage.

Then, Argentina took the 4-2 victory thanks to goals from Messi, Paulo Dybala, Leando Paredes and Gonzalo Montiel.

Everyone in the Argentina camp was ecstatic, and Martinez was in tears just like most of his teammates as well as the players from the defeated French side. However, he let his excitement get the most of him in the end, causing football fans to frown upon his lewd gesture with the trophy.

It may also be remembered that Qatar is a strictly conservative Islamic country, and visitors have been reminded numerous times to respect the host country's culture during the World Cup.