After stepping down from the Belgium job following the team’s early Fifa World Cup exit, Roberto Martinez has now been named as the new Portugal head coach.
The Spanish coach will replace Fernando Santos as the Portugal boss on a contract that will run for three-and-a-half years until the end of the 2026 World Cup.
Santos helped Cristiano Ronaldo and company to a Euro 2016 triumph but was let go after their quarter-final defeat to Morocco in Qatar.
On arrival, Martinez spoke out immediately on the presence of starman Ronaldo in the Portugal setup: “Decisions have to be made on the pitch. I’m not a coach who makes hasty decisions. I want to meet everyone, and starting today I want to talk and get to know all the players,” he said per EuroSport.
“Cristiano is part of that list. He spent 19 years with the national team and deserves respect. So let’s talk. From there, it’s up to me to make the best list for the European Championship. Tomorrow we’ll start working, getting to know all the players, and Cristiano is one of them.”
“We are going to start a footballing process to try to get to know all the players that could be part of this selection. We are going to give all the players an opportunity and respect all those who are already in the selection.”
Pictured above: Roberto Martinez
Image source: @B24PT
