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 his contract ended on Monday. 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.
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.
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).
