Roberto Martinez, the manager of Belgium, has stated that he will be leaving his position in light of the team’s disastrous World Cup group-stage loss.
After Belgium’s 0-0 tie with Croatia sealed their early elimination, Martinez said his contract would not be renewed.
The Belgian FA expressed gratitude to Martinez for his six years of service but claimed that their performance in Qatar had “failed and let down” the Belgian people.
Previously, Martinez had led Belgium to their best-ever World Cup performance, a third-place finish in Russia in 2018.
With players from what has been referred to as the nation’s “golden generation,” which included Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Eden Hazard in their prime, they finished the tournament as the highest scorers.
However, they were unable to capitalize on their performance and Italy eliminated them from Euro 2020 in the quarterfinals.
They were ranked second by FIFA when they arrived in Qatar, but a shocking loss to Morocco and a scoreless draw with Croatia caused them to be eliminated from the group stage for the first time since 1998.
Riots in Brussels and Antwerp necessitated the closure of portions of the cities by the police, further tarnishing that defeat to Morocco, which ranks as one of the World Cup’s biggest shocks.
They were also the subject of rumors of infighting in Qatar, where De Bruyne got into a heated argument with Jan Vertonghen on the field before telling reporters the team was “too old” to contend for the tournament.
Later, Vertonghen garnered attention for himself when he satirically applied the same criticism to justify why Belgium’s attacking players, including De Bruyne, had struggled to score goals during the competition.
Martinez considered his tenure’s accomplishments but acknowledged that his time as manager was up.
“Yes, that was my last game. It has been six years,” he told reporters. “I arrived with the clear idea of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Then we became so engaged with the project and won a bronze medal. I’m so proud of these players. It has been amazing.”
“It has been six years where we’ve been able to do everything you want to do. The team has played and given people real joy. But this is the time for me to accept [it is over]. I don’t resign. It’s the end of my contract.”
“Since 2018 I had many opportunities to leave and take jobs at club level, but I wanted to stay loyal.”
The Belgian FA paid respect to the departing manager in a statement issued an hour after their World Cup exit, but it also made clear how disappointed they were with their performance in Qatar.
It read: “We are extremely disappointed after the early exit of our national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar because we have failed and thereby let down the people of Belgium who supported our team all the way through.”
“An era and a cycle have come to an end. Today the ways of our coach Roberto Martinez and the Royal Belgian FA will part.”
“We are very grateful and proud that we have worked with Roberto Martinez for more than six years.”
Roberto Martinez
Roberto Martnez Montoliu, a Spanish football coach and former professional player, was most recently in charge of the Belgium national team. He was born on July 13, 1973.
Martnez started his career as a defensive midfielder for Real Zaragoza, where he also won the Copa del Rey.
He played for CF Balaguer for a year in a lower league before joining Wigan Athletic in the English Third Division.
He joined a small Spanish contingent at the club known as “the three amigos” with Jess Seba and Isidro Dáz, and for six years, the longest time he ever spent at one club, he was a regular first team player.
He won the Football League Third Division and the Football League Trophy when he was there. Before joining Swansea City in 2003, he first played for Scottish club Motherwell before moving on to Walsall.
In 2005, he was elected club captain and contributed to the team’s promotion to League One. In 2006, he relocated to Chester City, where he was once more selected as captain.
He gave up playing in 2007 to coach Swansea City, guiding them to League One championship and promotion.
He subsequently joined Wigan Athletic in 2009, assisting the team in avoiding relegation for three straight years.
Wigan were relegated in his fourth season, but in 2013, the team won the FA Cup for the first time ever.
He was appointed Everton’s manager at the conclusion of that season. He was fired as their manager in May 2016, then on August 3, 2016, he was named Belgium’s head coach.
Martinez led them to their best-ever finish in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in third place, and from 2018 to 2022, Belgium held the top spot in the FIFA World Rankings.
