Roberto Martinez has confirmed he will leave his post as Portugal coach after Portugal were eliminated in the round of 16 of the World Cup at the hands of Spain.
Portugal lost 1-0 at AT&T Stadium on Monday after beating Croatia 2-1 in the round of 16 to finish second in their group behind Colombia. Martinez has been Portugal coach since early 2023, having previously spent six years in charge of Belgium.
“It’s the end of a cycle and it’s important to have a new voice now,” Martinez said after the Spain game. “I think it is completely fair that the president, Mr. Pedro Proenca (appointed in 2025), has the opportunity to choose his own manager. This is completely legal.
“I want to thank the president and board for their support and for providing me and my coaching staff with everything we needed. I appreciate their strength and support, but this is the end of the cycle.”
“I take the memories with me and I hope that the Portuguese people will also have good memories of these three and a half years, which were some of the best of my entire life.”
“No, I don’t think it has been finalized,” Martinez added when asked if the decision had been made before the World Cup began. “When I came to Portugal, my goal was to win the World Cup.
“I believe that without winning the World Cup there is no point in continuing. The board and the president now have the opportunity to choose their own manager. The president has always supported my work, but my contract expires today, so I have nothing more to say.”
Martinez took over as Portugal coach after the 2022 World Cup, where Fernando Santos’ side lost to Morocco in the quarter-finals. Former Everton coach Martinez led Portugal to the same stage of the 2024 European Championship but lost to France.
However, they won the Nations League in 2025, beating Spain on penalties after a 2–2 draw.
Martinez’s departure comes as Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo also bids farewell to the World Cup. The 41-year-old confirmed at a press conference ahead of the match against Spain that this would be his last World Cup, after weeks of speculation.
Asked how he deals with criticism, Ronaldo said: “To answer your question, you have to enjoy it as much as possible, given that this is the last World Cup – and he is will be the last world championship. And enjoy every day.”
Ronaldo cried after Monday’s defeat to Portugal (Thomas Koex/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is not the time to look for anything other than the fact that we are talking about a football icon,” Martinez said of the Al Nasr striker, who is Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer (232) and goalscorer (146).
“Cristiano Ronaldo, not so much. I will always appreciate what he tried to do at this World Cup because his dream was to win it. He was an incredible example of a captain, both on a football level and on a human level.”
“His influence in the locker room and on the group of players is something that the entire coaching staff and all the players will live with us forever. He is an example of football, the athlete and the man behind the athlete.”
Explaining why he didn’t take Ronaldo off against Spain, Martinez added: “It’s an easy way to analyze today. When you have a team that you didn’t have before, you can’t take Cristiano off in at least 90 minutes because physically he is absolutely, completely capable.”
“We’ve been working on him all season so he can be there. He’s a presence, open space, adaptable, all in the box. We need his experience, so it doesn’t make sense.”
Portugal automatically qualifies for the 2030 World Cup as it co-hosts the tournament with Spain and Morocco.