He confided in the Polish media Wirtualna Polska and returned to his long stint with the Devils.
If he had to remember only one moment, only one memory, Roberto Martinez would choose the moment of communion between the players and the fans on the Grand-Place in Brussels. “It was something extraordinary, spectacular, very memorable. How people appreciated our medal at the time…”he recalls.
But it was the job as a whole that Martinez enjoyed. “Working with Belgium was pure pleasure for several reasons. I like to build and not just a team. I found it equally important to lay the foundations, to do something that will bear fruit when I will probably not be there. The coach has to think about two things: the results, here and now and the future. That’s why it was with great pleasure that I took on the position of technical director in addition to that of coach, that I have been in charge since 2018. Thanks to this, I have had an impact not only on what Belgian football looks like today, but also on what it will look like in the future. I am extremely happy that we have succeeded in combining the extraordinary skills of the best generation of Belgian football with great dedication and a work culture for the team”.
Even if he doesn’t mean anything, Roberto Martinez gives importance to the FIFA rankings. “It illustrates our regularity. For 3.5 years, we were in first place. And Belgium has only 11 million inhabitants. (…) And yet, Belgium in 2009 occupied the 66th position. This shows the path we have travelled, he analyzes.
“We played every tournament to win it”
But this first place has no value. Only the results count. “Every tournament we’ve been to. We’ve been to win it, playing forward football. In Russia and the Euros, we lost to France and Italy, who ended up as champions. I am sad that this generation has never won a gold medal, because she deserves it.
Martinez does not forget that he was able to count on a golden generation full of talents. He remembers a lot: “The individual talent of Eden Hazard, the game vision of Kevin de Bruyne, the incredible goalscoring instinct of Romelu Lukaku, the leadership of Vincent Kompany, the great qualities of Witsel and Mertens and the best goalkeeper in the world, Thibaut Courtois “, he quotes.
He also hopes that if this generation is no longer on the pitch, he will continue to influence Belgian football. “I would like to stress, because it is extremely important, that 21 players with whom I have worked here already have coaching diplomas and have taken courses from UEFA. They will work for the good and the development of football Belgian”, he hopes.
“I’m not talking about the future before January”
However, the World Cup in Qatar remains a bad memory… “In the first two games we didn’t play at our normal level. Canada were super ambitious, it’s their second World Cup, they were extremely motivated. And then Morocco showed how strong they are. “I thought that despite this vague start, we were going to be able to start. And in the third game, against Croatia, we played well. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t want to go in. However, we were very close to scoring.” he confides.
But no question of blaming Lukaku for as much. “It’s part of football. Sometimes a few centimeters decide whether the ball goes in or not. You have to accept it. Lukaku? Above all, I’m glad he wanted to help the team. He was injured after all. We “We managed to get him back on his feet that in the second game he played 10 minutes, and in the third 45. However, this time, as for those shots, we were unlucky. And that’s it”he comments, he who is waiting for the month of January to open discussions about his future.