Portugal have appointed Roberto Martinez as their new head coach.
Fernando Santos announced his eight-year tenure at the helm last month, a decision made after Portugal’s unexpected World Cup defeat to Morocco.
Santos led Portugal to the quarter-finals in Qatar, where he left Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench in two of the Selesão play-offs – a 6-1 comprehensive win over Switzerland and a 1-0 loss to Atlas Lions.
Martínez, who was unveiled as Portugal’s new coach on Monday and reportedly signed a four-year contract, became a free agent shortly before Santos’ departure, leaving his role as Belgium coach after the Red Devils slipped into a dismal group stage elimination. to Qatar.
Um novo ao serviço de Portugal bem-vindo, Mr. Roberto Martinez! #VesteBandeira
The new leader of the Portuguese service: welcome coach Roberto Martinez! #WearTheFlag pic.twitter.com/TCDe3yzJr9
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) January 9, 2023
Former Wigan Athletic and Everton boss Martínez led Belgium to their best World Cup campaign when they finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, though his failure to deliver trophies to a group of players said to be the “golden generation » of the country, has drawn criticism.
Martinez played 61 games in his six years in charge of Belgium, winning 47 games (77%).
Belgium beat Canada in their first match in Qatar, but a loss to Morocco and a draw with Croatia saw them eliminated from the World Cup group for the first time since 1998.
They entered the World Cup second in the FIFA World Rankings but dropped to fourth after failing to qualify for the playoffs.
When hiring, one of Martinez’s main tasks will be deciding on the international future of Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nasr in Saudi Arabia after the termination of his contract with Manchester United.
Although Ronaldo admitted that his “most ambitious dream” came true after he failed to inspire Portugal to win their fifth World Cup, the 37-year-old has yet to retire from international football.
Portugal will start their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign at home to Liechtenstein on 23 March, entering a group that also includes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Slovakia and Luxembourg.