Roberto Martínez steps down as Portugal Coach after World Cup loss

Roberto Martínez has announced that he is leaving his role as Portugal head coach after the team’s painful 1-0 loss to Spain in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup. He believes the tournament should not be seen as a failure, even though they exited early.

Portugal’s World Cup campaign ended in a heartbreaking way at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Substitute Mikel Merino scored a last-minute goal to send Spain into the quarter-finals. This match also marked Cristiano Ronaldo’s last game in football’s biggest tournament.

Martínez, who became Portugal’s coach in 2023 after leaving Belgium, was set to have his contract end after the World Cup. After the defeat on Monday, he confirmed that his time in charge was over.

During his post-match press conference, the 52-year-old said it was the right moment to step down, especially after Portugal did not get past the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2024.

“Yes, this is my last game with the national team,” Martínez said. “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.”

Martínez leaves Portugal after managing 45 matches, ending a period that followed coaching roles at Swansea City, Wigan Athletic, Everton, and Belgium.

We didn’t fail

Despite leading one of the most talented teams in the tournament, Martínez rejected claims that Portugal’s early exit was a failure.

With a squad that included the skills of Vitinha, João Neves, and Bruno Fernandes in midfield, along with Cristiano Ronaldo up front, Portugal entered the tournament as one of the favorites but could not advance past the knockout round.

Still, Martínez insisted that the result came down to small details, not a lack of quality or ambition.

“We didn’t fail,” he said. “We lost a game against a team that’s one of the favorites. We showed incredible individual talent. Winning or losing comes down to details in big games with big teams. You fail when you don’t try to win, and we tried to win until the last minute.”

The former Belgium coach also pointed out how tough it is to consistently reach the later stages of World Cups, saying that luck often plays a part in success.

“It’s not just Portugal,” Martínez added. “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.”

Martínez defends decision to keep Ronaldo till end of the game

Martínez also stood by his choice to keep 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo on the field for the full 90 minutes, even though Portugal was looking for an equalizer late in the game.

He said taking the country’s all-time leading scorer off the pitch would not have made sense during normal time.

“When you’re a team and you need a goal, you can’t take Cristiano Ronaldo off,” he said. “He can play 90 minutes, no problem.

“He’s a presence, he opens space, with a deadball situation, anything in the box, it would make no sense to substitute him. In extra time, it probably would have made sense to use Gonçalo Ramos. But we had to keep the structure; it wasn’t the case to take your top scorer off during the 90 minutes.”

Martínez’s exit marks the end of an important chapter for Portuguese football. He led the team for two years, achieving some promising moments but ultimately falling short of the goal to win the FIFA World Cup, adding to their European Championship and UEFA Nations League titles.

His departure also signifies the end of an era, coinciding with Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from the World Cup after an impressive career that included six editions of the tournament.