Martinez takes over from Fernando Santos, who stepped down in December after Portugal were knocked out by Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals
It’s a new era for Portugal as European Championship qualification begins under a new coach and with Cristiano Ronaldo away from football’s biggest stadiums. Portugal open their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign at home to Liechtenstein in Group J on Thursday, with Roberto Martinez making his coaching debut and Ronaldo still in the squad.
It will be Ronaldo’s first appearance for Portugal since leaving Europe for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr following a largely disappointing spell at Manchester United. He is set to break the all-time record for appearances with the national team after equaling Bader Al-Mutawa’s 196 starts for Kuwait during last year’s World Cup. (Watch: Video Of Kim Kardashian Son Waving At Lionel Messi During PSG Vs Rennes Match Goes Viral)
Martinez takes over from Fernando Santos, who stepped down in December after Portugal were knocked out by Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals. Santos left amid controversy with Ronaldo on the bench in the knockout stages of the tournament in Qatar.
Santos led Portugal for eight years, guiding the national team to the Euro 2016 title, the country’s first major trophy, and the Nations League title in 2019. He agreed to leave with the federation two years before his contract expired.
Lionel Pontes (former Portuguese coach):
❗
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) March 22, 2023
Lionel Pontes (ex Portuguese coach):
"Any smart coach knows that Ronaldo is a key player in the Portugal team." pic.twitter.com/GKwIX3Aie1
Martinez ended his six-year stint with Belgium after the team’s disappointing group stage exit at the World Cup. He arrived saying he would respect Ronaldo’s history with the national team.
Apart from Ronaldo, Martinez will inherit a squad full of talented players such as Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota, Gonzalo Ramos and Joao Felix. The coach made several changes in the squad, 40-year-old defender Pepe returned alongside the 38-year-old Ronaldo.
“We were introduced to him briefly on the practice field,” Felix said of Martinez. (India vs Myanmar Match Preview, Live Streaming Details: When and Where to Watch Tri-Nation Football Opener Live in India)
“He explained some of his ideas to us, mainly for these two games, which will be very similar. He talked about the dynamics of the attack, the connection between the wings and the forwards.”
Felix played down Portugal’s chances against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg on Sunday.
“We must always be ready and not take any match lightly,” he said.
“We have the recent example of the World Cup where everyone thought we would get past Morocco and we didn’t. It’s always difficult, it’s always the best of each country and everyone plays every game like it’s a final.” All games will be tough, home and away. We have to be careful.’
Portugal are unbeaten against Liechtenstein, with six wins and a draw in seven matches.
Portugal’s Euro 2024 qualifying group also includes Iceland, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The top two nations from each of the 10 groups qualify for the final tournament in Germany.
