Owner of the goal of the world champion team, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez is not among those called up and appears to be the big absentee in the friendly match that Argentina will play on Friday against Angola in Luanda.
Coach Lionel Scaloni announced last week Dibu's absence from the match in the Angolan capital, which will include captain Lionel Messi and other regular starters, such as forwards Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez.
Dibu, Aston Villa goalkeeper, has been a must-have in the squad for more than four years.
Since his debut in place of Franco Armani in June 2021 in a qualifying match against Chile, Dibu took over the goal and established himself as a starter after winning the Copa América in Brazil 2021.
At 33 years old, Dibu has accumulated 57 international matches, with forty of them without conceding a goal.
His last absence from the Albiceleste was in October 2024, when he was absent in the 1-1 draw with visiting Venezuela and the 6-0 win over Bolivia in Buenos Aires. He was serving a two-match ban after hitting a television camera after losing 2-1 against Colombia in Barranquilla.
In this context, the friendly against Angola will be a golden opportunity for the usual substitutes, Gerónimo Rulli (Olympique de Marseille) and Walter Benítez (Crystal Palace).
Both appear as the favorites to be the substitute goalkeepers in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Rulli, also 33 years old, has six games for Argentina on his record: three in qualifying and three friendlies. He was precisely the replacement for Draw against Venezuela and Bolivia in October 2024.
Walter Benítez, 32, only played one game for the Argentine national team, a friendly (3-1 victory) against Costa Rica in March 2024.
Scaloni is clear that Dibu Martínez will be his goalkeeper in the Argentina team that in seven months in North America will defend the world title won in Qatar in 2022.
“I'm interested in Dibu playing. I don't know what will happen at his club, but I imagine that if he stayed it's because he will play,” the coach commented months ago when Martínez was about to be transferred to Manchester United.
Finally the pass did not materialize and Martínez continues under the three sticks of Aston Villa.
On this occasion, Scaloni preferred to give him a rest and take advantage of this friendly – the last of the year for Argentina and one of the few scheduled until the World Cup – to do some testing in goal, in case any eventuality arises.
“The idea is to give the opportunity to some boy. The team is in a position to make some adjustments,” Scaloni had also pointed out, with the certainty of having several names guaranteed on the final roster.
Thanks to the rest that the coach gave him for this FIFA date, Draw Martínez took the opportunity to return to his hometown, Mar del Plata, 415 km south of Buenos Aires, to rest for a few days with his family.
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