Roberto Martinez announced his departure as Portugal manager following their exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Portugal fell 0-1 to Spain in their Round of 16 encounter.
Martinez revealed that he was stepping down from his position. He pointed out that he took over the role of leading Portugal to the World Cup title, and that failure to do so means there is no point in continuing.
‘It is the end of the cycle’ Roberto Martinez
Speaking after the match, Martinez said, “It is the end of the cycle. It is important to have a new voice, a new leader.”
“It had not been decided previously (that I would leave after the tournament). I came with the goal to win the World Cup, and because I did not win, it does not make sense to continue.
“I take with myself the memories, and hope that Portugal has good memories of the three and a half years I was head coach of the team. It was the experience of my life,” he added.
This was also Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup, and the 41-year-old was left in tears after full-time.
Mikel Merino scored a late winner for Spain, combining with Ferran Torres in the 91st minute. There have been 10 last-minute winners (90th or 120th) at the 2026 World Cup, which is the most in a single edition of the competition.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said, “Mikel Merino never lets us down, he’s a safe bet. He helped us win the European Championship and is always there when it counts. He’s one of the best players in the world in his position.”
“Mikel performs exceptionally well and is always exactly where he needs to be.”
Cristiano Ronaldo also ended his campaign with the most shots (17) on record since 1966 at a single World Cup edition, without creating a single chance for a teammate. He broke Alberto Garcia Aspe’s (15) 1998 record.
The match also saw Ronaldo become the second player to start 25 World Cup games, alongside Lionel Messi (27).
Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes said, “Obviously, Spain deserve credit. They have quality and great players, but I think that, based on what we did in the first half, if we’d carried on like that, we would have come away with a different result.”
