ROBERTO Martinez has been named the head coach of Portugal, just about a month after leaving his post as Belgium boss.
The Spaniard’s appointment was confirmed today by the Portuguese federation, who named him to replace Fernando Santos.
Martinez quit as Belgium’s head coach after their disastrous Qatar 2022 World Cup group stage exit, saying he had long made the decision to end his six-year tenure and would have left even if they had won the tournament.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm and ambition with which he received the invitation,” the Portugal football federation’s president, Fernando Gomes, told a news conference today with Martinez beside him.
“This is an important moment for the national team.”
The former Wigan and Everton manager took the Belgium job in August 2016 and led them to the No.1 spot in the FIFA world rankings and third place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Martínez, 49, was in charge for 79 matches with Portugal, winning 56, drawing 13 and losing 10.
His predecessor in Portugal, Santos, left after Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates suffered a shock defeat by Morocco in the Qatar 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
Santos, widely criticised for his tactics, became Portugal coach in 2014 and won the European Championship in 2016 and UEFA’s inaugural Nations League in 2018-19.
