Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he is leaving his job as Portugal coach after they lost 1-0 to Spain and crashed out of the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Despite losing the game, Martinez denied that the result was a ‘’failure’’. Roberto Martinez took charge of Portugal in 2023, and his contract was due to expire after the tournament. This game also marked the last time Cristiano Ronaldo was featured in the World Cup.
The game saw Substitute Mikel Merino scored the winning goal in the 91st minute to clinch a 1-0 win for Spain at AT&T Stadium, advancing to the quarter finals.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Roberto Martinez said that it would not make sense to continue as the coach and that he was leaving the job. Martinez said,
"Yes, this is my last game with the national team. I'm proud. I've had 45 games, and I felt welcomed in Portugal, and loved. It's a memory I'll take with me always. It was a pleasure, a source of pride, and responsibility. It's hard, but it's the end of a cycle and in the context it makes absolute sense."
We did not fail, we lost against a team that’s tournament favorites: Roberto Martinez
Portugal had one of the most talented squads coming into this tournament and there were a lot of hopes from the fans that this was their best chance. But despite losing in Round of 16, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said that this campaign was not a failure.
Speaking about this performance Martinez said, "We didn't fail. We lost a game, against a team that's one of the favourites. We showed incredible individual talent. Winning or losing is about details in the big games, with big teams...You fail when you don't try to win, and we tried to win until the last minute."
"It's not just Portugal. There aren't many countries that consistently get to the latter stages of World Cups. It's very difficult to be consistent and qualify always. There are things that make the difference, like a ball that hits the woodwork. These are things that decide World Cups,’’ Martinez added.
Roberto Martinez has previously coached Belgium in a World Cup before taking over as head coach of Portugal. It will be interesting to see how Portugal go forward and they are expected to announce a new coach in the coming days. Spain will face Belgium in Quarter Finals of the 2026 World Cup which is set to be played on 11th July.
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