Roberto Martinez walked out of his last press conference as Portugal manager with his mind made up. "I came to Portugal to win the World Cup," he said after Sunday's 1-0 loss to Spain in Dallas. "Without winning it, there's no point in continuing."
No ambiguity. No door left open. The contract ends today, he said, and that was that — three and a half years reduced to a quiet goodbye in Texas.
Martinez confirmed the decision hadn't been made before the tournament. The Spain defeat was the line. Portugal had the talent to go further — Cristiano Ronaldo's last realistic shot at a World Cup title now almost certainly gone — and the Belgian paid the price for falling at the round of 16. Anyone pricing up the next Portugal manager market can start now; the job is open and the squad is good enough to attract serious names.
Brazil hold their nerve, for now
Across the draw, Brazil are dealing with their own inquest. Erling Haaland scored twice at the New York/New Jersey Stadium as Norway beat the five-time champions 2-1, stretching their wait for a sixth title to at least 28 years. The knives came out fast — they always do with Brazil.
Carlo Ancelotti was the target. Critics pointed at his decision to let midfielder Bruno Guimaraes take a penalty early on — which he missed — and at keeping 34-year-olds Casemiro and Danilo on the pitch as Brazil ran out of legs and ideas. Neymar came on late, converted a penalty in added time to make it 2-1, and changed nothing.
But Brazilian FA football director Rodrigo Caetano wasn't moving. "He is our manager and will be throughout this cycle," Caetano said, pointing to the instability that preceded Ancelotti's arrival as the real root cause. Brazil had drifted through three interim managers while they waited for Ancelotti to leave Real Madrid, giving him barely a year to reshape the squad before the tournament.
- Ancelotti's contract was extended in May through the 2030 World Cup cycle
- Haaland's brace ended Brazil's tournament at the last-16 stage
- Guimaraes missed an early penalty; Neymar scored a late consolation from the spot
- Casemiro and Danilo, both 34, played the full match
"One of the main reasons we failed was not having proper, stable guidance long term," Caetano added. It's a reasonable point — and a convenient one. Whether the Brazilian public buys it after another early exit is a different question entirely.
Ancelotti keeps his job. Martinez doesn't. Two of the world's most watched national teams reset from the same round, heading in opposite directions.
