The Portugal national soccer team has appointed Roberto Martinez as its new manager to replace Fernando Santos, who stepped down after the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Portugal’s 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign came to a close in the quarter-finals as Morocco shocked the winners of EURO 2016. Morocco secured a 1-0 win over Portugal in the quarter-finals, knocking out the competing European heavyweights in the process.
The Portugal national soccer team advanced to the round of 16 after finishing top of the points table in Group H. They also produced one of the best performances by any team at Qatar 2022 when they defeated Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16 .
However, Fernando Santos could not guide his team beyond the quarterfinal stage where Morocco beat them.
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Roberto Martínez was announced as the new Portugal coach, replacing Fernando Santos
After their elimination from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Portugal national soccer team parted ways with Fernando Santos, who had held the position since 2014.
Portugal was looking for a new manager and several names were linked to the role. However, they have now confirmed the appointment of Roberto Martínez as their new coach.
Roberto Martínez was the coach of the Belgium national soccer team between 2016 and 2022. He left his position as Belgium’s coach after their disastrous performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Despite boasting a star-studded squad, Belgium failed to advance beyond the group stage at Qatar 2022. They finished third in Group F, behind Morocco and Croatia, and were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage. of groups.
“I am very happy to be here, I am delighted to be able to represent one of the most talented teams in the world. the project you wanted. I understand that there are many expectations and goals, but I also understand that there is a great group of people working to meet our goals,” Roberto Martínez said at a press conference upon taking over as Portugal coach.
“The important thing is that we are a very competitive team. When I think back to my international career, in six and a half years we were unbeaten in 28 major tournament matches. It is a way of making the team competitive. Portugal must always have the will to win everything and for that it needs to be a modern team, with tactical flexibility”.
