Odds comparison next Portugal Manager
The current manager of the Portugal national football team is Spaniard Roberto Martínez. Martínez was born in Balaguer, Spain in 1973 - this makes him one of few managers of truly elite level international clubs to not be a citizen of the country of which they are in charge.
Before he became a manager, Martínez enjoyed a 16 year playing career. During this time he plater for eight clubs in three different countries. His was an unconventional career path in more ways than one. He began his footballing education with Balaguer in 1982 when he was just nine years old. After eight years in the youth setup of his hometown, Martínez was scouted by nearby Zaragoza. He was coached in the team's youth system for two years before turning professional at the age of 18. He spent three seasons with their B team playing in the Segunda Division, the second-tier of Spanish football. After 43 appearances for the B team, he made his one and only start for the senior side on the final day of the 1992/1993 La Liga season.
While it was generally understood that Martínez was a talented and intelligent player, he never quite made the grade with Zaragoza and returned to Balaguer in 1994. He played for a solitary season, making 19 appearances and scoring two goals before deciding to take his career in a radically different direction by moving abroad.
England was his preferred destination and in 1995 he moved to North Western team Wigan Athletic. With the Latics, Martínez would go on to be a fan favourite, making 167 league appearances and scoring 17 goals over a six year period which saw them win two trophies: the Football League Third Division in 1996/1997 and the Football League Trophy in 1998/1999. Martínez was also named in the PFA Team of the Year on two occasions, 1995/1996 and 1996/1997.
After his time at Wigan, Martínez moved north of the border to Motherwell where he played 16 times but failed to score a goal. After one season he returned to England with Walsall. His time there was relatively disappointing, too, however. Martínez could only manage six appearances before moving on again, this time to Swansea.
With Swansea, the Spaniard was a resounding success. He made 122 appearances over three years and won his final trophy as a player: the Football League Trophy in the 2005/2006 season. As with Wigan, Martínez became a firm fan favourite at Swansea. He saw out the rest of his playing days with Chester before moving to management.
He returned to Swansea where he managed for two years, winning the League One title in 2007/2008 before moving to Wigan once more. His time as a manager with Wigan was where he truly established himself as a top manager. Under his stewardship, the Latics played attractive football and sensationally won the FA Cup against Manchester City in 2012/2013.
He had a poor spell with Everton before moving to Belgium to coach the national side. Under his management, they finished in 3rd place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
On 9 January 2023, Martinez was announced as the head coach of Portugal, replacing Fernando Santos.