Roberto Martinez Appointed As New Head Coach of Ronaldo’s Portugal

• Portugal have appointed former Everton boss Roberto Martinez as the new national coach
• Martinez was with Belgium and led the squad to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup
• Among his first tasks as a manager will be whether or not to stick with Cristiano Ronaldo

Roberto Martinez has officially been appointed as the new head coach of Portugal's national team, after days of speculation.

Martinez takes over from Fernando Santos, who was sacked after a calamitous World Cup outing in Qatar that saw them exit at the hands of Morocco in the quarter-finals.

The Spanish head coach had a disappointing tournament himself with Belgium, after they bowed out in the group stages. He then resigned from the position.

Has Cristiano Ronaldo retired?

The Cristiano Ronaldo question will linger over Martinez's first days as the new head coach. Ronaldo was dropped from Santos' first eleven during his last days as manager.

Who are the top 10 all-time top scorers in the history of Ligue 1?

Football

Now at Al Nassr, the 37-year-old is yet to announce any plans to retire from international football.

Martinez's first role will be to lead Portugal to Euro 2024 glory in Germany, after failing to land any major trophy with a star-studded Belgian squad.

Jose Mourinho was among the coaches who had been considered for the role, according to the Portuguese FA's president, Fernando Gomes.

"Mourinho? We talked with many different coaches that fit the profile we were looking for, but there was only one official proposition, which was done to Roberto," he said, as quoted by Daily Mail.

How Martinez fumbled with Belgium

Sports Brief has previously reported that Belgium's 'Golden Generation' fell short of winning another major title, with a shocking group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic unrecognisable after getting new hairstyle

Football

Martinez's side was outclassed but survived against Canada, were embarrassed by Morocco, and then frustrated by Croatia. The Spanish manager has since resigned with nothing to show, save for the long periods the Red Devils were on top of the FIFA rankings.

But before last year, the signs were on the wall, with Belgium failing to bring a dominant team to Qatar unlike in 2018 - their bronze year.