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Report: Roberto Martinez agrees to become Portugal's new head coach

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Roberto Martinez reached a verbal agreement Saturday to become Portugal's new head coach, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein, signaling his intention to replace Fernando Santos following the country's quarterfinal exit at the 2022 World Cup.

Martinez also parted ways with Belgium shortly after the World Cup. Though he led the Red Devils to a third-place finish in 2018, the Spaniard was unable to steer them out of the group stage in Qatar.

Santos served as manager of Portugal for eight years before leaving his role in December. His defensive-minded tactics helped the Selecao win Euro 2016, but as years passed and more talented players became available, his style of play only seemed to stifle their potential. Portugal lost in the round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup as well as Euro 2020, ending its title defense in meek fashion.

Martinez coached a similarly gifted ensemble over the last six years in Belgium. Boasting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku, the 49-year-old Spaniard even enlisted the help of French legend Thierry Henry to get the best out of the most talented group of players Belgium has ever produced.

But it didn't yield results. After guiding Belgium to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup - where it lost to eventual champion France - Martinez couldn't get his team to fire in Qatar. A solitary group-stage win over Canada - which came against the run of play - wasn't enough for Belgium to advance to the knockout round.

Martinez will now have to address Cristiano Ronaldo's future with Portugal's national team. Santos benched the 37-year-old in the latter rounds of the 2022 World Cup, and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner terminated his contract with Manchester United before joining Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr on a two-year contract worth a reported €200 million per season.

Ronaldo hasn't announced whether he's officially retired from international duty.

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