Roberto Martinez recalls his time in Motherwell as a unique yet challenging chapter in his life, stating, It was a very good experience because it wasn’t a good experience. Recently, he found himself sitting in a bustling barbershop in Motherwell, a town located on the outskirts of Glasgow.
For those familiar with Motherwell’s social media scene, Martinez’s visits often appear in their feeds. In 2021, a notable picture of him watching a training session for the local boys’ club, Motherwell Phoenix, made rounds online. This connection to Motherwell seems to offer Martinez a sense of pleasure during his return visits.
His nine months in Motherwell were influential in shaping his future, not just as a manager but on a personal level as well; it’s here he met his wife Beth, whose roots are in the town. Reflecting on his time there, he expressed how the experience was “very good because it wasn’t good,” a sentiment he shared in 2014.
Martinez took a break from managing Belgium’s impressive roster, which featured stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, during his time in Motherwell. He made sixteen appearances for the club, but unfortunately, only started in eight before the team faced administration issues, resulting in redundancy for him and 18 other players.
While facing such adversity was painful, it ultimately contributed to his growth as a manager. Under his leadership, Belgium achieved the accolade of FIFA’s top-ranked nation for three consecutive years but fell short of clinching a major title. Nevertheless, he guided the team to a World Cup semi-final in 2018 and the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, although they lost to France and Italy respectively.
Before his tenure with Belgium, Martinez had notable achievements, including a triumphant return to English football with Swansea, winning the FA Cup with Wigan, and securing a fifth-place finish with Everton. Yet, his journey wasn’t without its challenges; he faced relegation and dismissal from clubs, and even experienced a premature exit in the World Cup with Belgium before stepping down in 2022.
As the current manager of Portugal, he is once again at the helm of an extraordinary group of talent, leading them through a successful qualification campaign for Euro 2024, where they scored 36
