Emiliano Martinez is now known around the world for his World Cup final penalty shoot-out heroics, his imposing, intimidating presence likely to be the thing some France players see when they shut their eyes for the foreseeable.
The sight of the Argentina shot-stopper taunting and goading each French taker he faced will live long in the memory of all who witnessed it, but just how many remember Martinez from his time as long-standing Arsenal deputy goalkeeper?
Having arrived at Arsenal as a baby-faced 18-year-old from Argentinian outfit Independiente in 2010, Martinez certainly took the scenic route during his rise to first-team football at the Emirates. A decade prior to lifting football's most coveted-trophy out in Qatar, the 'keeper was playing on loan in the English lower leagues for Oxford United.
Emergency loans at Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United soon followed, where he made a combined 19 first-team appearances.
It was 2014 before Martinez really introduced himself to the Arsenal faithful, where he enjoyed some Champions League group stage outings and even made the UEFA Team of the Week after a clean-sheet against Borussia Dortmund. The Argentine may have been hoping to use that momentum to kick on and cement himself as a regular within the Gunners first-team, but the reality was another emergency loan beckoned - this time with Rotherham United.
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Five months later and Martinez was on the move again, with another loan spell coming at the Molineux with Wolves, making 15 appearances before a thigh injury scuppered his development. A season-long loan at Granada would be his last temporary stint away from the Gunners before he at long last got his break following Bernd Leno's injury at the hands of Neal Maupay away at Brighton in the summer of 2020.
The German was set to be sidelined for the remainder of the season, which handed Martinez the chance to really stake his claim as Arsenal's long-term number one. He came in for huge praise and seemed to play his way into the hearts of the Emirates faithful.
During his brief period between the sticks for his parent club, Martinez displayed plenty of the traits we have since gone on to associate him with on a regular basis. His command of his area and dominance from crosses were aspects of his game that led many to view Martinez as a superior alternative to Leno.
His crowning moment in an Arsenal shirt came during the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea in August of that year, where he was moved to tears after the game and widely praised as one of Mikel Arteta's side's standout performers.
It wasn't enough to convince the Gunners boss in the long run however and in a surprising turn of events, Martinez bid farewell to the Emirates after a decade in north London to join Aston Villa a month and a half after lifting the FA Cup in a deal worth £20million.
He has excelled at Villa Park, equalling the club record for most clean sheets in a season during his debut campaign with 15. Despite Leno since also leaving Arsenal and the Gunners signing Aaron Ramsdale as a replacement, some fans feel as if it was an error of judgement to let Martinez leave.
This feeling has only grown in the wake of the 30-year-old's World Cup heroics.
Some of the Arsenal faithful are fearful that Martinez's departure could come back to haunt the club in a similar fashion to Serge Gnabry, who spent years in and around the Gunners first-team as a youngster before being sold permanently to Werder Bremen.
The German international left the Emirates having made less than 20 appearances for the club, if he was perhaps given the chance to make more outings Arsenal could have reaped the kind of benefits Bayern Munich since have.
Coincidentally, it is the Bundesliga giants who are the latest European titans to be linked with a move for Martinez which could see the Argentine enjoy a reunion with his fellow former exiled-Arsenal star.
With regular number one Manuel Neuer ruled out for the rest of the season, the Bavarians are on the prowl for a worthy replacement.
Though he is under contract with Villa until the summer of 2027, Bayern boast the ability to offer Champions League football and regular playing time while Neuer recovers.
It remains to be seen whether Martinez could have his head turned and is likely to want to try and bask in the glory of his World Cup triumph for the time being, but the sight of him playing Champions League football in the red of Bayern would be enough to turn even the most compassionate Gunners fan green with envy.
