Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, whose heroics helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is about to be immortalized again — now in a cartoon about his childhood in Mar del Plata. 

Martínez will collaborate with the cartoonist Liniers and the writer Hernán Casciari on a six-episode series titled Emi On Off. Produced by Orsai Audiovisuales, it will tell the story of a 12-year-old boy who dreams of becoming the world’s best goalkeeper before discovering he has a superpower.

“Dibu is completely crazy and does superhero things, like knowing how many penalties he’s going to save beforehand,” Casciari told Télam. “He has a confidence that’s more mystical than real, and all of that plays into the cartoon.”

Emi On Off will be financed collectively, allowing different people to join as “producing partners” who can own a piece of the show and participate in the creative process. The series currently has over 2,100 “producers”, who have contributed more than US$500,000.

Dibu’s character will discover he has the power to stop time and use it to make incredible saves. The series will also explore some of the challenges that Martinez faced growing up. 

“I had the idea before I even spoke to Dibu,” explained Casciari. “When I went to his house, I told him about it, and he liked it. We started talking about some real problems that he had in childhood and even the ones he has now. For example, he suffers from insomnia after important matches.”

Martínez, Casciari, and Liniers held their meetings over the phone and streamed their conversations for their producing partners to follow along, offering a window into their vision for the series and the latest developments in its production.

No release date has been announced, but the show will be accepting new “producers” until December 2023.