I normally stay away from movies about current footballers, because such films are just 2 hour commercials. But this Emi Martinez hybrid documentary from Director Gustavo Cova is a delight and could be great family fare.
In the Story
If you are unaware, Emi Martinez is the WC 2022-winning goalkeeper for Argentina. His trademark is a little dance after a great save. That was pretty much all I knew about him, and that his on-field personality gave him a high profile at Aston Villa. So it was very surprising when the film showed how long he had to wait to get his chance.
Compared to other player documentaries, the enchanting difference in this film is Cova’s use of classic animation to portray Emi’s youth and mental challenges. The animation is interspersed with interviews of the real people that are represented — his parents, his older brother, the boyhood friends he hung out with, and the Independiente academy that developed him. Emi’s mental challenges are personified by an angry ball that belittles him and constantly tries to enter his goal and score on him.
What Emi Martinez had to go through to become the GK he is today is impressive:
- Finances were always a struggle — his dad worked in the fishing industry around Mar del Plata and his mom cleaned houses.
- Leaving home at age 11 1/2 to join Independiente. He never lived at home again.
- Joining Arsenal at age 16 and waiting 10 years to become a starter. His wife and therapy helped him endure.
- Not making a major NT appearance until the 2021 Copa America, which he helped win. When I watched Emi in WC 2022, I did not realize it was only his 2nd year in goal for Argentina.
In Conclusion
Like other soccer documentaries, you get a feel that none of these players make it without the loving support of family and wife. I liked that this film really credited all these support people, and in a way that makes Emi seem honestly appreciative as well as very lucky. It’s such a positive, inspiring film that it made me forget how disgusted I was with Argentina’s dirty play at WC 2026. It’s a good thing the film was released before the games.
I had a little trouble with the analogy that Emi the boy flips a switch in his belly button to stop time and allow him to figure out the trajectory for saving the ball. I also was initially confused when Emi was referred to as Dibu, which was his nickname based on a famous character in a cartoon telenovela.
For Messi fans, there are little snippets of the man-god in the film.
Overall, this is a really great film and I hope Emi continues to live up to the goodness that is portrayed in this documentary. Don’t disappoint me, Dibu!
9 Soccer Movie Mom Rating = 9
Resources:
- Released: 2026-05-28 (Netflix)
- 1 hr 17 mins
- In Spanish with English subtitles
- Spanish title is Dibu Martínez: El pibe que ataja el tiempo
- IMDB
- Director: Gustavo Cova
- Stars: Emiliano Martinez , Amanda “Mandinha” (wife)
- Watch the Trailer in Spanish
