August 4 – He’s managed several Belgian internationals at club level and now he’s in charge of the entire national team.
Roberto Martinez has been appointed as the new manager of Europe’s perennial underachievers, succeeding Marc Wilmots who lost his job after Belgium’s failure to get beyond the quarter-finals at Euro 2016 when they were upset 3-1 by Wales.
Martinez, who made his Premier League name at Swansea, has been out of work since being sacked by Everton late last season after a disappointing campaign but in the Spaniard’s first term there he guided the club to their best Premier League points tally and a fifth-place finish.
Belgium took the unusual decision of widening their search for a head coach by posting a job advert online.
Ranked No. 2 in the world Belgium have a glittering array of talent and will hope Martinez, who has managed Belgian internationals Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas, can harness the national squad’s individual ability and fill the job description as someone who has a “proven track record in transmitting tactical and strategic knowledge” to top players.
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