Argentina’s Martinez played mind games during the penalty shootout against France in final

 

In the last five years of his life, psychologist Geir Jordet has watched films of every penalty shootout from every big international men's competition during the last 50 years. His goal was to learn as much as he could about the difficulty of performing under pressure in order to comprehend how the lessons learned from a soccer pitch in Qatar applied to every field of employment. Here is his opinion of the crucial penalty shootout in the FIFA World Cup 2022 championship game that involved Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martnez.

Emi Martinez immediately set the tone and took charge of the penalty area. France's captain Hugo Lloris won the coin toss, and Martinez hastened to the penalty area to anticipate Lloris' arrival as if he were hosting a guest at his own home.

As Lloris arrived, Martinez began shaking his hand. He imitated Mbappé in doing so. People may let their guard down in response to Martinez's early warmth and beauty, making them more vulnerable to his later attacks. His strategy to hurt the opposition includes this uncertainty.

As the shootout begins, Martinez's interruptions are brief and understated. The purpose of doing this is probably to get to know the referee and find out where the line is placed. Mbappe asked the referee to check the placement of the ball before entering the game. The official happily accepted and responded with a "thumbs up."

Martinez and Kingsley Coman exerted a little more pressure, which prompted the referee to politely intervene. He convinced the referee to examine the placement of the ball once more, and this time he got a receptive response. Martinez realised he was in charge of the penalty area at this point.

After saving a penalty, goalkeepers hardly ever favour a large celebration. Martinez is a unique individual. Jordet claims that exuberant celebrations benefit teammates while hurting adversaries because they transmit assurance, power, and supremacy. Martinez used all of his first stopper.

When Aurelien Tchouameni came up, Martinez was confident in his skills and knowledge of his limitations. Being modest was getting old for him. At first, he simply carried the ball away as if it were his own. The Argentinean fans roared as he took his time with it and waited for the referee and Tchouameni. 

Then Martinez threw the ball away rather than handing it to Tchouameni, forcing the opposing team to go get it. There was no getting around the contempt. The official referee did not issue any penalties. Who the boss was was known to all. When Tchouameni was prepared to shoot, Martinez grinned smugly at him. Tchouameni was late.

Paredes then attacked for Argentina. Martinez knew that Lloris might stop being courteous and begin using his sleight of hand tactics against the Argentine players. Without allowing Lloris a chance to mimic him, he seized the ball and passed it to Paredes right away.

The first time Martinez was seen interacting with a staff member on the sidelines, they appeared to be discussing Randal Kolo Muani, the fourth French penalty taker. Then several times he said, "I've watched you!" Martinez already had the upper hand when the anticipated yellow card arrived.

Jordet compared Emi Martinez to the notoriously cunning Italian ambassador Nicholas Machiave, calling his mind tricks "large, surprising, and premeditated." Jordet claims that Martinez has influenced others to copy him and devise ways to defeat him. Jordet said he was interested to watch how the performance would develop after being seen on the biggest stage in the world.