Argentina defeated Austria 2-0 and secured its qualification for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup thanks to a double from Lionel Messi. However, once again, Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez managed to capture some of the attention off the court. An ironic response about the Argentine captain, an unexpected appearance during an interview and a publication on Instagram, turned the goalkeeper into one of the viral protagonists of the day.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper became a trend on social media a few hours after the match, not because of a decisive intervention between the three sticks, but because of a response that unleashed a wave of reactions.
During the mixed zone, when asked about Messi’s performance after his double, Martínez responded with apparent seriousness: “I see it bad.” The phrase immediately sparked jokes, memes and videos on different platforms due to the obvious ironic tone of the response.
The gesture that went viral again
Minutes later, the Argentine goalkeeper starred in another moment that quickly circulated on social networks. While one of his teammates offered statements about the match, Martínez appeared in the background performing his well-known spider gesture.
The contrast between the seriousness of the interview and the goalkeeper’s spontaneity generated a new wave of comments among Argentine fans, who shared videos and screenshots of the moment.
There was also praise for Messi
Beyond the relaxed tone that characterizes his public appearances, Martínez also expressed admiration for the Argentine captain’s performance.
“Beautiful to see, beautiful to enjoy,” declared the goalkeeper when referring to Messi’s performance, who was once again decisive for the Albiceleste.
The Argentine striker scored the two goals in the victory against Austria and reached 18 goals in World Cups, expanding his record as the all-time top scorer in World Cups.
Argentina is already in the round of 16
The team led by Lionel Scaloni resolved the match with authority. Messi opened the scoring in the first half and sealed the match in the second half, while the Argentine defense kept a clean sheet.
With two victories in two games – 3-0 against Algeria and 2-0 against Austria – Argentina secured its qualification for the round of 16 and confirmed its status as a candidate for the title.
While Messi continues to expand his legacy on the field, Martínez continues to demonstrate why he is one of the most media personalities on the Argentine team. This time he didn’t need a spectacular save or a penalty shootout to become news: a phrase and a gesture were enough for him to once again take over social media.