Emiliano Martinez returns to Emirates in a Chelsea shirt, the rival Arsenal fans never forgive

Ten years is a long time. Long enough for six loan spells, for an FA Cup final won through tears, and for chants that still echo every time he sets foot in Emirates Stadium. Emiliano Martinez no longer plays for Arsenal, but this weekend he returns to his old home wearing a shirt that could hardly stir up more noise: that of Chelsea.

The Dibu was unveiled Sunday as the new Blues goalkeeper and wasted no time, making his Premier League debut that very day in a 4-3 win over Brighton. But the real test comes now, when he has to head back to north London to face the club that opened the door to European soccer for him more than a decade ago.

It's worth remembering how it all began. Back in 2009, a young goalkeeper from Independiente, then known as Damian Emiliano Martinez, shone at the Under 17 South American Championship in Chile under coach Jose Luis "Tata" Brown. Argentina reached the final and lost on penalties to Colombia, but the Dibu saved two spot kicks, one of them from none other than Philippe Coutinho. That performance was enough for scout Francis Cagigao to recommend him to Arsenal, who paid Independiente a million dollars and signed him in 2010.

Years of waiting and six loans

What followed was anything but a straight path. Martinez had to go out on loan six times over seven years, from England's lower divisions to a brief stint at Getafe in Spain, chasing the competitive minutes Arsenal wouldn't give him. He finally made his Premier League and Champions League debuts in 2014, but the arrivals of goalkeepers like Petr Cech, David Ospina and Bernd Leno kept him on the sidelines.

Everything changed on June 20, 2020, when the season resumed after the pandemic. Leno got injured against Brighton and the Dibu, with just seven league appearances to his name in ten years, took over between the posts. That afternoon kicked off an unforgettable run: he established himself as the starter, played a key role in winning the FA Cup (a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Wembley final) and finally carved out a place of his own in European soccer.

The exit and the lingering tension

Leno's return complicated things all over again. Arteta asked him to compete for the job; Martinez preferred to go somewhere he'd be the undisputed number one. That's how he ended up at Aston Villa for 20 million pounds, a transfer that would prove decisive for his career with the Argentina national team.

"I didn't want to wait until Friday night to find out if I was going to play against Fulham. So I texted Arteta to tell him Aston Villa wanted me, and to please help me and let me go"Emiliano Martinez

Over time, that decision was more than vindicated: the goalkeeper became a central figure in two Copa America titles and the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, on top of winning the Europa League with Aston Villa last season.

Still, Arsenal fans haven't fully forgiven him. Every visit to Emirates comes with hostile chants and, on occasion, direct verbal clashes with the stands, as happened in the 4-1 defeat on December 30. The Dibu himself, with his trademark needling, hasn't exactly helped cool things down.

Even so, his fondness for the club that developed him seems genuine.

"I still love the club, I have friends there. When you spend ten years of your life there, I arrived as a young kid and left as a man. I always loved this club and I always will"Emiliano Martinez

Now he has to wear Chelsea's colors, a rival that doesn't get much sympathy from Arsenal. Blues fans will be hoping that years of pent-up frustration turn into the best possible motivation to start things off on the right foot.