Martinez’s brief stopover leaves fans wanting more

Emiliano Martinez's brief stopover in Dhaka yesterday created quite a buzz among the host of Argentina fans in the country, but also left people with a sense of disappointment due to the short nature of the visit and heavy security protocols.

Argentina's World Cup-winning goalkeeper made an 11-hour stopover in Dhaka en route to Kolkata, where he will take part in a number of activities and public gatherings over two days. But his Dhaka visit featured only two visits, those too of a private nature.

Having arrived in the early hours of Monday following a 36-hour-journey from Amsterdam, the 30-year-old was whisked to a five-star hotel in Gulshan under heavy security. The tinted car that he was driven in went straight into the parking area to avoid the gathering of fans and media and that was how the rest of his visit went.

Following a couple hours of rest, Martinez and his entourage went to the office of NEXT Ventures, a digital business company which sponsored his visit to Dhaka, and spent close to an hour there, meeting selected guests including former Bangladesh cricket captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and State Minister for ICT, Zunaid Ahmed Palak.

The Argentine was gifted a replica of a hawk, the bird that Bangladeshi fans call him by for his agility and reflexes, and a miniature boat, a symbol of Bangladesh's rural life and also of the ruling Awami League.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper, who is being targeted by a few top clubs in the Premier League, then paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office, presenting her with an Argentina shirt and exchanging views about football, Argentina and Bangladesh.

Both Palak and Mashrafe, the latter being a self-proclaimed diehard Argentina fan, later expressed their elation at being able to meet and spend some time with the Argentine icon, posting pictures and sharing stories of their experience on social media.

While Mashrafe was one of the lucky few to have had the opportunity to meet his idol, many more were left disheartened at not being able to catch a glimpse of the Argentine since he did not make a public appearance, as was announced prior to his visit.

Bangladesh football team captain Jamal Bhuiyan, who had arrived at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport along with the rest of the team following their SAFF Championship campaign in India, waited at the VIP gate to have a talk with Martinez, but to no avail.

Despite the message being relayed to Martinez's security and the organisers that the Bangladesh captain was waiting to meet Martinez, the goalkeeper was whisked into the airport before leaving for Kolkata, where he gave interviews to the media on his arrival to begin an elaborate visit to the City of Joy.

Although Martinez later wrote on Instagram that he was moved by the hospitality of the Bangladeshi people, he had perhaps missed out on the real hospitality and craze of the Bangladeshis regarding football and Argentina.