Roberto Martinez resigns as Belgium coach
"This is my last game against Belgium and you can imagine how I feel right now," Martinez said after the draw at Ahmad bin Ali. "I'm always looking for long-term projects, and they need to be laid out in advance. That's always the plan."
The Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) also confirmed the farewell to coach Martinez with a 24-word notice on Twitter, instead of posting an announcement on the official website. "We announce that Martinez will retire from coaching Belgium after the 2022 World Cup. This is a decision that was made before the tournament," the announcement read.
Martinez succeeded Marc Wilmots to lead Belgium since August 2016. He holds the golden generation of Belgian football, with Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Dries Mertens, Jan Vertonghen, Romelu Lukaku, Axel Witsel, Yannick Carrasco or before that Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Thomas Meunier, Marouane Fellaini, Mousa Dembele.
Under the 49-year-old coach, Belgium lost to Wales in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, won the bronze medal of the 2018 World Cup, lost to Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2021 and finished fourth in the UEFA Nations League 2021. The peak of disappointment came at the 2022 World Cup, when Belgium beat Canada 1-0, lost to Morocco 0-2, drew 0-0 with Croatia and were eliminated from the group stage.
Through 80 matches, Martinez and Belgium won 56 matches, reaching a rate of 70% - the highest in the history of this team's coaches, excluding temporary workers.
Besides professional problems, Martinez could not control the dressing room at Qatar 2022. Three stars De Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen and Eden Hazard clashed in the dressing room. De Bruyne even made dissenting statements when he criticized the Belgian team for being too old and unable to compete for the championship.
In the last round, Belgium needed to win to keep their hopes up, but were held to a 0-0 draw by Croatia. In which, the substitute striker Lukaku squandered at least three delicious opportunities. Martinez said that Belgium played well, created many opportunities against Croatia, had no regrets and could leave the tournament with their heads held high.
The 49-year-old coach also sees Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana and Doku as the next golden generation of Belgian football. "The problem is not the names that appear on the field, the legacy can be left in many ways," emphasized Martinez.
Before Martinez, Tata Martino (Mexico) and Carlos Queiroz (Iran) were the coaches who also left the team after being eliminated from the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.
