Martinez Steps Down After Defeat to Spain as Ronaldo’s World Cup Journey Ends

Dragon Media News Desk

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has stepped down after his team were eliminated from the FIFA World Cup following a 1–0 defeat to Spain in the round of 16. The match also marked the end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup journey.

The closely contested match at Dallas Stadium in Texas remained goalless throughout the regulation 90 minutes. In the first minute of stoppage time, substitute Mikel Merino converted a pass from Ferran Torres to score the decisive goal and send Spain through to the quarter-finals.

Spain exercised greater control during the second half, but Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa produced a series of excellent saves to keep his team in contention until the closing moments.

Speaking after the match, Martinez confirmed that it had been his final game as Portugal’s head coach. He said he had taken charge with the objective of winning the World Cup and no longer saw sufficient grounds to continue after failing to achieve that goal. His contract was also due to expire when Portugal’s World Cup campaign ended.

Martinez described the defeat as the conclusion of a particular cycle in Portuguese football. He said his players had delivered a courageous and disciplined performance against one of the tournament favourites, but lost the result by the narrowest of margins at the decisive moment.

Martinez took charge of Portugal in 2023 and led the national team for approximately three and a half years. Portugal won the 2025 UEFA Nations League under his leadership, but the principal objective of securing the World Cup remained unfulfilled. Following the team’s elimination in the round of 16, the Portuguese Football Federation will now begin the process of appointing a new head coach.

The match against Spain was Ronaldo’s final appearance in his sixth and last World Cup. After the defeat, he confirmed that the 2026 tournament had been his final World Cup, although he did not immediately announce his retirement from international football. He said he would not make a hurried decision about his future with the Portuguese national team and would take time to consider his next step.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo appeared in six consecutive World Cups between 2006 and 2026. He played a record 27 World Cup matches for Portugal and scored 11 goals.

During the 2026 tournament, Ronaldo scored twice against Uzbekistan and once against Croatia. His goal against Croatia was the first and only knockout-stage goal of his World Cup career.

Ronaldo also became the first player to score in six different editions of the World Cup. He found the net in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 tournaments, establishing one of the rarest records in international football.

Despite winning numerous individual honours and club trophies and setting a succession of historic records, Ronaldo was unable to lift the World Cup during his career. Under his leadership, Portugal won the 2016 European Championship and the UEFA Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.

The defeat to Spain brought an end not only to Portugal’s World Cup campaign but also to Martinez’s tenure and Ronaldo’s World Cup era in the same match.

However, because Ronaldo has not formally retired from international football, it would be premature to conclude that his entire journey in a Portugal shirt has already come to an end.