Roberto Martinez confirms Portugal departure after World Cup exit: ‘It doesn’t make sense to continue’

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Roberto Martinez has confirmed he will leave his role as Portugal coach following their World Cup last-16 exit at the hands of Spain.

Portugal lost 1-0 at AT&T Stadium on Monday, having beaten Croatia 2-1 in the round-of-16 and finished second in their group behind Colombia. Martinez has been Portugal coach since the start of 2023, having previously spent six years in charge of the Belgium national team.

“It is the end of the cycle, and it’s important to have a new voice now,” Martinez said after the Spain game. “I think it is entirely fair that the president, Mr Pedro Proenca (appointed in 2025), has the opportunity to choose his own manager. It is completely legitimate.

“I want to thank the president and the board for their support and for providing me and my coaching staff with all the necessary conditions. I appreciate their strength and support, but it is the end of a cycle.

“I take the memories with me, and I hope the Portuguese people will also have good memories of these three and a half years, which have been some of the best of my entire life.”

“No, I don’t think it was finalized,” Martinez added when asked if the decision had been made before this World Cup started. “My focus when I came to Portugal was to win the World Cup.

“I believe that without winning the World Cup, it doesn’t make sense to continue. The board and the president now have the opportunity to choose their own manager. The president has always supported my work, but my contract ends today, so there isn’t much more to say.”

Martinez took over as Portugal coach following the 2022 World Cup, where Fernando Santos’ side lost to Morocco in the quarter-finals. Former Everton manager Martinez guided Portugal to the same stage of the 2024 European Championship, only to be defeated by France.

They did, though, win the Nations League in 2025 after beating Spain in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw.

Martinez’s exit comes as Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo also bids farewell to the World Cup. The 41-year-old confirmed at a press conference before the Spain match that this would be his final World Cup, after weeks of speculation.

Asked about how he deals with criticism, Ronaldo replied: “To answer your question: it’s to enjoy it as much as possible, given it’s the last World Cup — and it is going to be the last World Cup. And to enjoy the day-to-day.”

“This is not the time to look for anything beyond the fact that we are talking about a football icon,” Martinez said on the Al Nassr striker, who is Portugal’s all-time top appearance-maker (232) and scorer (146).

“There aren’t many Cristiano Ronaldos. I will forever appreciate what he tried to do in this World Cup, because his dream was to win it. He was an incredible example of a captain, both on a footballing level and a human level.

“His impact inside the dressing room and within the group of players is something the entire coaching staff and all the players will carry with us forever. He is an example of football, of an athlete, and of the human being behind the athlete.”

Explaining why he did not take Ronaldo off against Spain, Martinez added: “Today, that’s an easy way to analyze. When you have a team that you didn’t have before, you cannot take Cristiano off, at least in the 90 minutes, because physically he’s totally, totally capable.

“We’ve worked on him over the season to be able to be there. He’s a presence, open space, adaptable situation, anything in the box. We need his experience, so it would make no sense.”

Portugal will qualify automatically for the 2030 World Cup as it is co-hosting the tournament alongside Spain and Morocco.

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