It was a Dream I am happy to be Here: World Cup winner Emi Martinez lands in India

By Gurmeet
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Updated: July 4, 2023
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“I am really excited, feeling great. It was a dream (coming to India). I had promised to come to India, I am happy to be here,” Martinez said.

One of the prime cast members of Argentina’s historic FIFA World Cup triumph last year in Qatar, Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez finally arrived in India on Monday.

The Aston Villa and Argentina player landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata on Monday for a two-day visit for a series of events, from meet and greet sessions to an interaction with schoolchildren at Santosh Mitra Square and the inauguration of gates named after Pele, Diego Maradona and Garfield Sobers at the Mohun Bagan Club.

“I am really excited, feeling great. It was a dream (coming to India). I had promised to come to India, I am happy to be here,” Martinez said as he was swarmed by the reporters upon arriving in the West Bengal capital city.

Satadru Dutta – a sports promoter and business consultant – orchestrated the Argentine’s visit to Kolkata, having already helped in the execution of visits from the likes of Diego Maradona, Pele and Cafu among others to the football crazy city.

“Martinez is aware that Argentina has a huge fan following in the Indian subcontinent,” Dutta said. “He thought Kolkata meant Bangladesh. So clarity had to be given that though they speak the same language, one is a country, and the other a city in a state. The common denominator between the two is football and the massive fan following for Argentina and Brazil.”