Former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has verbally agreed to become the new manager of the Portugal national team after Fernando Santos left the team after a poor World Cup where Portugal were eliminated by Morocco.
The appointment of the Spanish manager is expected to be finalized by the end of this week.
He will be in charge when Portugal face Liechtenstein for the UEFA EURO Qualifiers on March 23, 2023.
Roberto Martinez, who was a free agent after Belgium’s early elimination from the 2022 World Cup group, was linked with a move to Club Brugge, but he decided to wait for an international offer.
Belgium’s World Cup campaign was marred by Kevin De Bruyne’s controversial statement and rumors of player clashes.
Martinez has been in charge of Belgium since 2016, and there are expectations of him winning silverware with the caliber of players like Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and many more.
The Spanish manager led Belgium to third place in the 2018 World Cup and to the Euro 2020 quarterfinals.
However, Belgium is looking forward to appointing a new manager before next year, and there are rumours of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry becoming the next manager of the team.
Henry is ready to take a lower salary to return to his coaching job after a disappointing tenure with Monaco.
Portugal is ranked ninth in the FIFA rankings, and Martinez’s appointment has piqued the interest of Portuguese fans, who want to put the poor performance in Qatar behind them and win Euro 2024.
Martinez is going to be the first Spanish coach to manage Portugal.
Previous managers have been Brazilian or homegrown managers, but none of them has been as successful as Fernando Santos.
Roberto Martinez Coaching Style
The manager favors a possession style of play and attractive football, with Johan Cruyff being his role model.
He prefers the 3-4-3 formation. Martinez teaches his player how to control the ball well and work on the opponent’s weaknesses. In defense, he does not allow his players to press.
Martinez also enjoys long passes to fast strikers who are dangerous on the counterattack and can score a lot of goals.
His style helps to drag opponents out of their positions. However, he relies heavily on the individual skills of his players.
Roberto Martinez Daughter
The Spanish manager has two daughters named Luella and Safiana Martinez. Both of the daughters have decided to keep their life private from the public.
Luella was born in 2014; she is currently eight years old, and her sister Safiana was born in 2019. Both of them are living with their parents in Belgium.
