He’s regarded as the top goalkeeper in the world right now – but there was a time when he spent a stint at Molineux.

Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez has earned a strong reputation, backed up by numerous accolades, as the finest goalkeeper in the game today.

For many, he is now known as Villa’s instinctive shot-stopper who has been crucial in Unai Emery’s side achieving success in both the Premier League and the Champions League. Alongside that, he has also lifted the World Cup with Argentina.

However, before making his move to Villa from Arsenal, Martinez had to work his way through the ranks of English football. After joining Arsenal’s academy, he went out on loan to clubs including Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham.

In 2015, he arrived at Wolves, signing a season-long loan under then-manager Kenny Jackett. At that stage, few could have predicted what Martinez would become, and his time at Molineux was fairly unremarkable.

He served as backup to first-choice keeper Carl Ikeme and made just 13 appearances in all competitions for Wolves.

He managed five clean sheets but also picked up a thigh injury that disrupted his spell at the club.

Martinez returned to Arsenal and later had further loan spells at Getafe and Reading before eventually joining Villa in a £17m transfer. What followed is well known, though things might have turned out very differently for both him and Wolves.

That season saw Wolves finish 14th in the Championship, but Molineux could easily have become Martinez’s long-term destination.

Speaking on the Fozcast podcast in 2024, he revealed that Wolves had tried to sign him permanently.

He said: “I remember when I was young, I had a loan at Wolves; they offered £10 million to sign me.

“That was a long time ago, big money back then. I thought ‘ooof’, but then I said no, stay. They signed Petr Cech. I mean, one of the best goalkeepers ever in the Premier League, so how could I compete? It was a huge challenge to try again. There were always obstacles along the way.”