Portugal were dumped out of the 2026 World Cup on Monday.
That also meant the end of Roberto Martinez’s reign with the national side, with the Spanish coach recently being linked to the Celtic job before Martin O’Neill was handed the gig for next season.
Some have questioned whether Martinez has the quality to become Celtic manager down the line, despite possessing a high-quality CV, with Chris Sutton laying into him on social media for how he has gone about things, including his handling of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former Celtic striker labelled Portugal’s World Cup campaign a ‘freak show’, as they bowed out at the last-16 stage to Spain, with 41-year-old Ronaldo playing the entire game, while back-up striker Gonçalo Ramos, who scored the winning goal against Croatia last time out, remained on the bench.
Could Roberto Martinez be Martin O’Neill’s long-term replacement at Celtic?
Martinez will leave Portugal, regardless, after the World Cup. Your thoughts, Celtic fans…🍀🇵🇹👇
Chris Sutton calls Roberto Martinez an ’embarrassment’ after Portugal knocked out of the World Cup
‘Roberto Martinez is an embarrassment,’ said Sutton. ‘Gonçalo Ramos stays on the bench. Ronaldo does what he wants… again! Portugal were a freak show… a circus. Martinez so weak.’
Martinez is still a high-quality coach
Yes, how Martinez has gone about this Portugal job, and his previous reign with Belgium, will be off-putting for many because it is a failure.
But on the club stage, he still has a strong CV and shouldn’t be removed from any shortlist Celtic make when looking for a long-term replacement for O’Neill.
Of course, Celtic’s legendary coach will return for the upcoming campaign, but he is only doing it because the club is being run in a shambolic way right at the very top.
Come next summer, if the champions of Scotland are looking for a new coach, and Martinez is available, then he should still be considered.
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