Emi Martinez is going viral for full-time conversation with Johan Manzambi as footage emerges

In the aftermath of Argentina's win over Switzerland, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez appeared to ask Johan Manzambi if he was joining Aston Villa this summer – and footage of the moment is going viral.

Manzambi, who was one of Switzerland's standout performers at the World Cup, has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League in recent weeks.

The 20-year-old central midfielder appeared likely to join Newcastle last week as talks intensified. In fact, a club-to-club agreement was reached between the Magpies and Bundesliga side Freiburg.

But on Sunday evening, their move for Manzambi was hijacked by Aston Villa, who are in the process of finalising a move for the player, according to a report from The Athletic.

Manzambi is said to favour a move to Villa after they stepped up their interest following the injury to Amadou Onana, who faces several months on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.

It is said a deal is worth a club-record £60 million.

On Saturday, however, it still looked like Manzambi was heading to St James' Park, although a conversation with Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez after the World Cup clash between Argentina and Switzerland appeared to suggest otherwise.

As seen in the newly-released footage, Martinez asks Manzambi if he is "going to Villa".

It's hard to pick up the midfielder's response in full but judging by Martinez's reaction, the Argentine received the news he wanted to hear. With a big smile on his face, Martinez patted Manzambi on the chest.

Here's how fans on social media reacted to the conversation.

One wrote: "Mate we've had this one day ago and no one picked that up. Emi knew. But also we get a 2nd clue from this clip - that Martinez is staying. Look how excited he is to know that Manzambi is going to Villa."

Martínez: “You going to Villa?”

Manzambi: “Yes.” 👀#AVFC pic.twitter.com/jzl8gvqu37

— Keslerszn (@KeslerSZN) July 12, 2026

A second commented: "Hahahaha how have we missed this," and a third said: "That's embarrassing for Newcastle. Aston Villa have got such a good player in him."

A fourth wrote: "This is crazy," and a fifth added: "Dibu Martínez was celebrating, and when he saw Manzambi, he asked him if he was going to join Aston Villa when no one had shared that information yet."

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How good is Johan Manzambi?

Manzambi, who impressed when Freiburg came up against Aston Villa in the Europa League final in May, was Switzerland's top scorer at the World Cup with three goals.

Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin was full of praise for the midfielder earlier this month, saying: “I’ve known of [Manzambi’s] talent for a year. He is a very precious and important player for us. He is constantly increasing his performance and is a team player.

“He’s the kind of player that others like to watch and I always say that he is an all-rounder, with so many qualities."

Former Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji agreed, adding: "“You can see that he is very creative and that's what we need from players who, even in situations where you don't expect anything, can still create something special."

Manzambi made 47 appearances across the 2025-26 season, recording seven goals and nine assists for Freiburg.