A lewd gesture by Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez following Sunday's World Cup final has divided opinion - but appalled many viewers.
The Aston Villa shot-stopper collected the Golden Glove trophy at the tournament after his team beat France on penalties in a pulsating 3-3 game that has been heralded as the greatest World Cup final ever. Despite conceding three goals in the final, Martinez had previously kept three clean sheets - more than any other 'keeper at the tournament.
And, before his shootout heroics display in the final, he had also been Argentina's hero in their quarter-final shootout win over Netherlands, saving two penalties from Virgil van Dijk and Teun Koopmeiners. However, on collecting the trophy for being the best goalkeeper at the World Cup, he made a lewd gesture with the trophy - holding it to his crotch.
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BBC presenter Gary Lineker could be heard saying: "No! Don't do that, Emi". On, twitter, Judith Mari Jones commented: "Disrespectful of the game to say the least. He will regret it."
Many fans were shocked and disappointed by the incident. @KellyHa75996755 tweeted: "Sad to see sports hero’s can be so classy, not."
And @shonay2002 tweeted: "There has been no class whatsoever in Argentina's celebrations."
Helen Curtis tweeted: "It was such a great moment for the team and the sport and then he did that. I hope when he looks back on it he is totally embarrassed.
"Hope he is disciplined. As an adult I could care less, but there were many children tuned in and at the field. Unacceptable."
However, not all fans agreed. Max Reiss tweeted: "It's a joke chill." And @ItzSayKriDD said: "People actually upset and offended by this. Smh. Sad."
Meanwhile, Gareth Henshaw dismissed the incident as Martinez showing some "personality"
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