Roberto Martinez is a famous football coach and former player who has made his mark at club and international level.
He is currently the head coach of the Portugal national team, having led them to the 2024 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
He is also known for successful spells at Swansea City, Wigan Athletic, Everton and Belgium, where he demonstrated his attractive attacking style of play.
File
- Full name: Roberto Martinez Montoliu
- Date of birth: July 13, 1973
- Age: 51 years old
- Gender: Male
- Place of birth: Balaguer, Spain
- Nationality: Spanish
- Occupation: Football coach and former player
- Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
- Parents: Roberto Martinez Senior and Amor Montoliu
- Siblings: None
- Spouse: Beth Thompson
- Children: Luella and Safiana
- Relationship status: Married
- Net worth: $18 million
Early life and education
Roberto Martinez, now 51 years old, was born on July 13, 1973 in Balaguer, a small town in Lleida, Spain.
He is the only child of Roberto Martinez Senior, a former footballer who played for several lower-division clubs in Spain, and Amor Montoliu, a teacher. Martinez inherited his passion for football from his father and started playing at a young age.
He joined the youth academy of local club CF Balaguer when he was nine years old and progressed through the ranks. He made his first-team debut for the club at the age of 16 and helped them win the regional league title in 1991.
Martinez was also a bright and academically excellent student. He attended the prestigious Institut Lluis de Peguera, a high school in Manresa, where he earned his bachelor’s degree.
He then enrolled at the University of Lleida, majoring in physical education and sports science.
He balanced his studies with a football career, playing for various clubs in Spain’s lower divisions, such as UE Lleida, Real Zaragoza B and CF Balaguer.
Personal life
Roberto Martinez met his future wife, Beth Thompson, in 2002 while playing for Walsall in England.
Thompson, from Glasgow, Scotland, is a television presenter who has worked for the BBC, ITV and Sky Sports.
They married in 2009 in a lavish ceremony at St Joseph’s Church in Swansea, Wales. The couple have two daughters, Luella, born in 2010, and Safina, born in 2012. They live in Lisbon, Portugal, where Martinez is the national team coach.
Martinez is fluent in four languages: Spanish, Catalan, English, and French. He is also a music fan, especially rock and indie bands. He enjoys reading, especially biographies and historical fiction.
Career
Roberto Martinez started his professional football career in 1991 when he signed for Real Zaragoza, a top club in Spain.
However, he failed to make first-team appearances and was loaned out to lower-division clubs such as Balaguer and Lleida. In 1995, he moved to England and joined Wigan Athletic, a third-tier club.
He became a key player for the club, forming a midfield trio alongside fellow Spaniards Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba, who were dubbed “theThree Friends“ .
He helped Wigan win the Third Division title in 1997 and the Football League Cup in 1999. He made 180 appearances and scored 23 goals for the club in six seasons.
In 2001, Martinez left Wigan and joined Scottish club Motherwell, where he played for one season. He then returned to England and played for Walsall, Swansea City and Chester City before retiring in 2007. He scored a total of 38 goals in 377 appearances during his career.
Martinez began his coaching career in 2007 when he was appointed manager of Swansea City, the club where he ended his playing career.
He led Swansea to the League One title in his first season, making them the first Welsh club to play in the second tier of English football since 1989.
He has also received praise for his attractive and attacking style of play, influenced by his Spanish heritage and his admiration for Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola. He was named League One Manager of the Year in 2008.
In 2009, Martinez left Swansea and returned to his former club, Wigan Athletic, playing in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. He faced the difficult task of keeping the club in the league, as they had one of the lowest budgets and attendances.
He did it in three seasons despite losing some of his best players, such as Antonio Valencia, Victor Moses and James McCarthy.
He also led Wigan to their first major trophy, the 2013 FA Cup, when they beat Manchester City 1–0 in the final.
However, in the same season, he was unable to prevent Wigan being relegated to the Championship, the second tier of English football. He left the club after four years, having won 39 of his 152 games.
In 2013, Martinez joined Everton, another Premier League club, replacing David Moyes, who left to join Manchester United. He had a successful first season, leading Everton to their highest ever points tally (72) and best ever finish (fifth) in the Premier League era.
He also helped Everton qualify for the Europa League, Europe’s second-tier competition. He was named LMA Manager of the Year in 2014, becoming the first non-British manager to win the award.
However, his second and third seasons were arguably more impressive, as Everton finished 11th and 12th respectively, failing to progress beyond the last 16 of the Europa League and FA Cup. Everton sacked him in 2016 after winning 61 of 143 games.
In 2016, Martinez became head coach of the Belgium national team, a national team that has produced some of the world’s best players, such as Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.
He led Belgium to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where they finished third, their best ever performance.
They also reached the semi-finals of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, where they lost to eventual champions Italy. Martinez has extended his contract with Belgium until 2022 to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
However, in 2023, he surprised many by leaving Belgium and taking over the Portugal national team, who had failed to qualify for the World Cup. He has revived Portugal’s fortunes, leading them to the 2024 FIFA World Cup in France, where they are expected to challenge for the title.
Prize
As a player, Roberto Martinez won the following awards:
- Third Division title: 1996–97 (shared with Wigan Athletic).
- Football Championship: 1998–99 (shared with Wigan Athletic).
- League One title: 2007–08 (shared with Swansea City).
As a coach, Roberto Martinez has won the following awards:
- League One title: 2007–08 (shared with Swansea City).
- League One Manager of the Year: 2007–08 (with Swansea City).
- FA Cup: 2012–13 (with Wigan Athletic).
- LMA Manager of the Year: 2013–14 (with Everton).
- FIFA World Cup Third Place: 2018 (shared with Belgium).
Argumentative
Roberto Martinez has been involved in several controversies as both a player and a coach throughout his career.
Some of them are:
- In 1996, the Spanish Football Federation accused him of match-fixing, along with teammates Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba, who were playing for Wigan Athletic at the time. They were accused of taking money from a betting syndicate to lose a match against Bristol Rovers. They denied the charges and were cleared by the English Football Association.
- In 2009, he angered Swansea City fans and management by leaving the club to join Wigan Athletic, despite having signed a new contract with Swansea months earlier. He was branded a traitor and a liar by some Swansea fans who felt betrayed by his departure.
- In 2014, he was criticised by some Everton fans for his poor performance and defensive frailties, particularly in his third season, when Everton conceded 55 Premier League goals, the most in their history. He was also accused of being stubborn and arrogant, refusing to change tactics or admit his mistakes. Everton eventually sacked him in 2016 after a 3-0 defeat to Sunderland.
- In 2018, he was questioned by some Belgian fans and pundits over his team selection and substitutions, particularly in the World Cup semi-final against France, where he left out several of his key players, such as Radja Nainggolan, Dries Mertens and Yannick Carrasco. He was also blamed for being outplayed by his French counterpart, Didier Deschamps, who deployed a defensive and counter-attacking strategy that nullified Belgium’s attacking threat. Belgium lost the match 1-0 and missed out on reaching their first ever World Cup final.
- In 2023, he shocked the football world when he left Belgium and joined Portugal, who failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. He was accused of being disloyal and opportunistic, as he left a team he had built and nurtured for six years and joined one with more potential and talent, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes. He was also criticised for his timing, as he left Belgium just months before the start of the UEFA Nations League, a tournament Belgium won in 2021.
Social media
- Twitter Username: @Roberto_Martinez
- Instagram name: @roberto_martinez_official
List of movies played
Roberto Martinez has appeared in several football-related documentaries and television shows, such as:
- The Three Amigos (1999): A documentary following the lives and careers of Roberto Martinez, Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba, Spanish players who joined Wigan Athletic in 1995 and became cult heroes.
- The Class of ’92 (2013): A documentary that tells the story of six Manchester United players who rose from the youth team to the first team and became one of the most successful and influential groups of players in English football history. Roberto Martinez appears as one of the interviewees, having played with them several times during his career.
- The Impossible Job (2018): A documentary exploring the challenges and pressures of being the manager of the England national team, one of the most coveted and closely watched jobs in world football. Roberto Martinez is one of the interviewees, as he leads Belgium against England at the 2018 World Cup.
- The Beautiful Game (2020): A TV series that showcases the history and culture of football in various countries around the world. Roberto Martinez is the host and narrator of the episode about Spain, where he visits Balaguer’s hometown, the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona and the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid.
Net worth
According to various sources, Roberto Martinez has an estimated net worth of $18 million.
He earns $5 million a year as head coach of the Portuguese national team. He also has endorsement deals with brands like Nike, Pepsi, and Audi.
