The former Everton and Wigan Athletic boss is one of the names that has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Ronald Koeman, who has seen his position questioned following a disappointing start to the 2021-22 campaign.
Martinez doesn’t spend much time thinking about his future
Roberto Martinez insists that he remains focused on Belgium despite speculation linking him with the Barcelona job. The former Everton and Wigan Athletic boss is one of the names that has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Ronald Koeman, who has seen his position questioned following a disappointing start to the 2021-22 campaign. And while Martinez is a proud Catalan who was born in the region, he is solely concentrating on his role with Belgium, with the Red Devils facing France in the Nations League semi-final on October 7. “In all honesty, I don’t spend much time thinking about my future,” Martinez told reporters. “My career shows that I don’t make plans to get to where I am now. I just go from project to project. You learn that you have to be committed today.”
Belgium face France in the semi-final of the Nations League
“In football, if you start thinking, you just drop your performance and underachieve in what you do. In my case, I am very, very happy with what I am doing, and I am just trying to achieve the next steps. In the end, if I have to arrive at a decision where there’s a door, I will just try to make the best decision for everyone.” Martinez’s side face France in the semi-final of the Nations League, with the winner taking on either Spain or Italy in the final. A potential meeting with the country of Martinez’s birth is an exciting one. The 48-year-old has been encouraged by the Nations League format and its potential to set up clashes between some of Europe’s top international sides.
Discussing a possible showdown with Spain, Martinez said: “You never lose your roots. I am very, very proud of it, and my family are from there.”
There’s a lot of stories and plans Belgium need to make
“But you learn not to miss places and to find a home wherever you are with a happy environment. One of the strange things indeed is that my first game as a national team coach was against Spain. It really set the way that we were going to work from that point on. Now, we might have the opportunity to face each other, which would be a really fascinating game. It just shows this competition really works. It brings teams like France, Spain and Italy into outstanding games with the opportunity of winning silverware. It really is quite extraordinary, whatever way you want to look at it as a story for Belgium.
“If we play Spain, I grew up in Spain, and the other possible opponent is Italy, who stopped us in the Euros. Against France, we face the team that beat us at the semi-final of the World Cup. There’s a lot of stories and plans we need to make.”