Unfortunately for Cristiano Ronaldo, his hopes of finally winning the World Cup were dashed in Qatar. In December, the Portuguese superstar and his national team were knocked out of the World Cup 2022 in the quarterfinals.
After defeating the 2016 European champion by a score of 1-0, Morocco made history as the first African team to go to the World Cup semifinals. Thus, the 37-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner didn't even come close to taking home Qatar's prized trophy.
They had ample chances to score against the Moroccan defensive wall, but Portugal ultimately failed to go beyond the quarterfinals, despite having done so in 2006. The rhythm and style they showed in the round of 16 eluded them, though.
Portugal identify Fernando Santos' replacement in another Qatar 2022 sacked coach
After suffering an unexpected World Cup elimination, Portugal and their manager Fernando Santos mutually agreed to split ways. Once under contract until beyond Euro 2024, Santos' deal was terminated because it was the "perfect time to start a new cycle," according to the Portuguese Football Federation.
Since taking over in October 2014, the 68-year-old led the Selecao to victories at Euro 2016 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League. It seems that Portugal have identified his successor in Roberto Martinez, with whom they have already discussed terms of a verbal agreement. The Athletic report that the 49-year-old Spaniard's hiring should be finalized by the end of next week.
After the Qatar 2022 tournament, Martinez resigned as Belgium's head coach and is now a free agent, drawing attention from other clubs and national teams. With him at the head of the Red Devils since 2016, they were heavily favored to win a major tournament with players like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku.
Their greatest finish was third place in the 2018 World Cup, and Martinez resigned on a sour note as his team was eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup. In early December, the Portuguese made an offer that Roma coach Jose Mourinho couldn't refuse. However, he chose to stay in the Italian Serie A at least till the end of his contract.
