The goalkeeper has been a mainstay in the Villa team since joining from Arsenal in 2020 and takes immense satisfaction from how the club has developed from battling relegation to competing for Champions League qualification during his time between the sticks.

Martinez told DSports Radio: "Since I joined the club we have progressed by leaps and bounds. When I arrived we were at the bottom and became a mid-table club, then got to the Conference League and now we were recently fighting for first place.

"Obviously, after many injuries, we fell a little, but we are in the Champions League positions and in the quarter-finals of a European competition."

The Argentine World Cup winner says that playing in Europe's elite competition with Villa would be comparable to winning a league title and would give him more pride than doing so with an established continental giant.

Martinez said: "The club hasn't qualified for the Champions League for 45 years, so entering the Champions League would be like winning a title. It's very good because it's easy too jump to a giant club and play in the Champions League.

"But playing in the Champions League with a club which nobody expects to be there - the merit for me is a little more."