Roberto Martinez is set for his first major tournament in charge of Portugal following a disappointing end to his Belgium stint.
The former Everton manager was unveiled as the new A Selecao boss in January 2023, just over a year after he left the Red Devils.
He will be aiming for glory with Cristiano Ronaldo and co this summer and could even come up against his old national side.
But why did Martinez move on? talkSPORT.com takes a look…
Why did Roberto Martinez leave Belgium?
Martinez left his role as Belgium manager during the 2022 World Cup.
His side were knocked out in the Group Stage following a dismal tournament in Qatar.
A defeat to Croatia in their last group game put the final nail in the Red Devils’ coffin and they were sent home early.
It was after that game that Martinez gave an update on his future as the national manager.
And he revealed that even if Belgium remained in the tournament or even went on to win it, he was always planning to leave his post.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, he revealed: “That was my last game with the national team and it’s emotional as you can imagine.
“It was going to be the end whether we were world champions or out in the group stage.
“It has nothing to do with being eliminated at this stage. This is the time for me to accept that this day is the last game.”
When asked to clarify what he meant, Martinez continued: “I took the decision just before the World Cup.
“I always work in the long term. I believe the long-term projects need to be long term and they need to be set in advance.
“As you can imagine, since 2018 I have had many opportunities to leave and take jobs at club level. I always wanted to be loyal.
“I always wanted to finish the job and now I don’t resign, this is the end of my contract. This was always the plan.”
Now, Martinez is embarking on his latest long-term project with Portugal and he will be hoping to experience success this summer.
News Summary:
- Why did Roberto Martinez leave Belgium? Now Portugal boss bid ‘emotional’ farewell to Red Devils after dismal World Cup campaign
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