Euro 2020 – who is Belgium’s manager? Everything you need to know about Roberto Martinez

Roberto Martinez
(Image credit: PA)

Roberto Martinez will lead Belgium at Euro 2020, after they claimed maximum points to win their qualifying group.

Belgium won all 10 of their qualifying games, scoring 40 goals and conceding just three, and enter the tournament as one of the favourites.

Martinez arrived in English football from Spain in 1995, signing for Wigan Athletic alongside two of his compatriots.

He spent six years there as a midfielder, before moving on to Motherwell, Walsall and Swansea City, where he also became a fan favourite.

Upon retiring in 2007, he took the Swansea job, leading them to the League One title at the end of his first full season in charge.

In the Championship, they continued to dominate possession against bigger clubs with stronger squads, convincing Wigan chairman Dave Whelan to bring Martinez back to the DW Stadium.

He stayed there for four years, keeping them in the Premier League on one of the division’s lowest budgets while implementing a progressive style of play.

In Martinez’s final season, Wigan won the FA Cup, beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final at Wembley, before suffering relegation that same week.

Three years at Everton followed, where he worked closely with Romelu Lukaku, one of the stars of the Belgium squad.

Marc Wilmots’ failure to take a talented group of players beyond the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, where they lost to Wales, led to the appointment of Martinez later that summer.

The 47-year-old has an excellent record with Belgium and took them to the semi-finals of the last World Cup, where they were knocked out by eventual champions France.

They have consistently topped the FIFA rankings under Martinez’s leadership and will be looking to convert their excellent form into victory at a first major tournament.

Belgium have been drawn in Group B alongside Denmark, Finland and Russia, and are expected to progress with ease.

FourFourTwo Staff

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