The reaction to the appointment of Roberto Martinez as Portugal head coach in January 2023 was lukewarm at best, many concluding that the Spaniard was chosen as a stopgap until Jose Mourinho became available. If Martinez continues as he has started, the Special One may have a considerable wait on his hands.
It would have been impossible for Martinez to do any better in his first year in charge. For the first time, Portugal won every one of their qualification games for a major tournament, and did so in style. The Selecao scored more goals (36) and conceded fewer (two) than any other nation. Nevertheless, the outstanding campaign has to be put in the context of an easy group. Against the only team that put up a fight, Portugal edged to single-goal victories over Slovakia home and away.
That said,
