Roberto Martinez is a renowned football coach and former player who has made his mark at club and international levels.

He is currently the head coach of the Portugal national team, having led them to the 2024 FIFA World Cup qualification.

He is also known for his successful spells at Swansea City, Wigan Athletic, Everton, and Belgium, where he implemented his attractive and attacking style of play.

Profile

• Full name: Roberto Martinez Montoliu
• Date of birth: July 13, 1973
• Age: 51 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Balaguer, Spain
• Nationality: Spanish
• Profession: Football coach and former player
• Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
• Parents: Roberto Martinez Senior and Amor Montoliu
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: Beth Thompson
• Children: Luella and Safiana
• Relationship status: Married
• Net worth: $18 million

Early Life & Education

Roberto Martinez, now 51 years old, was born on July 13, 1973, in Balaguer, a small town in Lleida, Spain.

He was the only child of Roberto Martinez Senior, a former footballer who played for several lower-league clubs in Spain, and Amor Montoliu, a school teacher. Martinez inherited his father’s passion for football and started playing at a young age.

He joined the youth academy of his local club, CF Balaguer when he was nine years old and progressed through the ranks. He made his senior debut for the club at 16 and helped them win the regional league title 1991.

Martinez was also a bright student who excelled in academics. He studied at the Institut Lluis de Peguera, a prestigious high school in Manresa, where he obtained his baccalaureate degree.

He then enrolled at the University of Lleida, where he studied physical education and sports science.

He balanced his studies with his football career, playing for various clubs in the Spanish 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 TV presenter who has worked for BBC, ITV, and Sky Sports.

They married in 2009 in a lavish ceremony at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Swansea, Wales. The couple have two daughters, Luella, born in 2010, and Safina, born in 2012. They live in Lisbon, Portugal, where Martinez coaches the national team.

Martinez is fluent in four languages: Spanish, Catalan, English, and French. He is also a fan of music, especially rock and indie bands. He enjoys reading books, especially biographies and historical novels.

Career

Roberto Martinez began his professional football career in 1991 when he signed for Real Zaragoza, a top-flight club in Spain.

However, he did not appear for the first team and was loaned to lower-league 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 with fellow Spaniards Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba, who were dubbed “The Three Amigos.”

He helped Wigan win the Third Division title in 1997 and the Football League Trophy 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 games in his career.

Martinez started coaching in 2007 when he was appointed as the manager of Swansea City, the club where he ended his playing career.

He guided 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 also earned praise for his attractive and attacking style of play, which was influenced by his Spanish roots and his admiration for Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola. He was named the 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 division 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 managed to do so for 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 FA Cup 2013, when they beat Manchester City 1-0 in the final.

However, in the same season, he could not prevent Wigan from being relegated to the Championship, the second tier of English football. He left the club after four years, winning 39 out of 152 games.

In 2013, Martinez joined Everton, another Premier League club, replacing David Moyes, who had left to join Manchester United. He had a successful first season, leading Everton to their highest-ever points tally (72) and their best-ever finish (fifth) in the Premier League era.

He also qualified Everton for the Europa League, the second-tier European competition. He was named the LMA Manager of the Year in 2014, becoming the first non-British manager to win the award.

However, his second and third seasons could have been more impressive, as Everton finished 11th and 12th, respectively, and failed to progress beyond the last 16 of the Europa League and the FA Cup. Everton sacked him in 2016 after winning 61 out of 143 games.

In 2016, Martinez became the head coach of Belgium, the country’s national team that has produced some of the best players in the world, 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 result.

They also reached the semi-finals of the 2020 UEFA European Championship, where they lost to eventual champions Italy. Martinez extended his contract with Belgium until 2022 to win Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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 revived Portugal’s fortunes, leading them to the 2024 FIFA World Cup in France, where they are expected to challenge for the title.

Awards

As a player, Roberto Martinez won the following awards:

• Third Division title: 1996–97 (with Wigan Athletic).
• Football League Trophy: 1998–99 (with Wigan Athletic).
• League One title: 2007–08 (with Swansea City).

As a manager, Roberto Martinez won the following awards:

• League One title: 2007–08 (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 (with Belgium).

Controversy

Roberto Martinez has been involved in some controversies as a player and manager throughout his career.

Some of them are:

• In 1996, the Spanish Football Federation accused him of match-fixing, along with his teammates Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba, who were playing for Wigan Athletic at the time. They allegedly received money from a betting syndicate to lose a game against Bristol Rovers. They denied the allegations and were cleared of wrongdoing by the English Football Association.
• In 2009, he angered the Swansea City fans and board by leaving the club to join Wigan Athletic, despite having signed a new contract with Swansea a few months earlier. Some of the Swansea supporters branded him a traitor and a liar, who felt betrayed by his departure.
• In 2014, he was criticized by some Everton fans for his poor results and defensive frailties, especially in his third season, when Everton conceded 55 goals in the Premier League, the most in their history. He was also accused of being stubborn and arrogant, refusing to change his 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 for his team selection and substitutions, especially in the World Cup semi-final against France, where he left out some of his key players, such as Radja Nainggolan, Dries Mertens, and Yannick Carrasco. He was also blamed for being outsmarted by his French counterpart, Didier Deschamps, who deployed a defensive and counter-attacking strategy that nullified Belgium’s attacking threat. Belgium lost the game 1-0 and missed the chance to reach their first-ever World Cup final.
• In 2023, he shocked the football world by leaving Belgium and joining Portugal, who had failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. He was accused of being disloyal and opportunistic, as he abandoned a team he had built and nurtured for six years and joined a team with more potential and talent, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, and Bruno Fernandes. He was also criticized for his timing, as he left Belgium just a few months before the start of the UEFA Nations League, a competition that Belgium had won in 2021.

Social Media

• Twitter handle: @Roberto_Martinez
• Instagram handle: @roberto_martinez_official

Filmography

Roberto Martinez has appeared in some documentaries and TV shows related to football, such as:

• The Three Amigos (1999): A documentary that follows the lives and careers of Roberto Martinez, Isidro Diaz, and Jesus Seba, the Spanish players who joined Wigan Athletic in 1995 and became cult heroes among the fans.
• The Class of ’92 (2013): A documentary that features 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 the history of English football. Roberto Martinez appears as one of the interviewees, having played against them several times in his career.
• The Impossible Job (2018): A documentary that explores the challenges and pressures of being the manager of the England national team, one of the most coveted and scrutinized jobs in world football. Roberto Martinez is one of the interviewees, as he managed Belgium against England in the 2018 World Cup.
• The Beautiful Game (2020): A TV series showcasing the history and culture of football in different countries worldwide. Roberto Martinez is the host and narrator of the episode about Spain, where he visits his hometown of Balaguer, 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 per year as the head coach of the Portugal national team. He also has endorsement deals with brands such as Nike, Pepsi, and Audi.

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