Roberto Martínez has confirmed that he won’t be continuing as Portugal’s manager after his team exited the World Cup at the hands of Spain in the last-16. Portugal’s knockout tie with its Iberian neighbor seemed destined for extra time after a rather forgettable 90 minutes. That was until Spanish substitute Mikel Merino broke in behind Martínez’s defense in stoppage time, latched onto Ferran Torres’s clever pass and finished beyond Diogo Costa.The European champions will now face off against Belgium in the quarterfinals, aiming to repeat their dominant cycle from 2008 to 2012, while Portugal departs North America with the sense that it has wasted an excellent crop of players. An underwhelming era has thus drawn to a close, but Cristiano Ronaldo is set to live on. While the 41-year-old said before Monday’s match that this World Cup would be his last, he hasn’t yet decided what his immediate future with the national team holds. ’Wouldn’t Make Sense’—Roberto Martínez Leaves Portugal PostMartínez’s contract was due to expire at the end of the World Cup. | Hannah Peters/FIFA/Getty ImagesMartínez was appointed in the wake of Portugal’s quarterfinal elimination at the hands of Morocco at the previous World Cup in Qatar, despite struggling to maximize Belgium’s lauded ’golden generation.’His tenure returned the UEFA Nations League trophy in 2025, as well as two major tournament disappointments. Given the talent at his disposal, there’s no doubting that Martínez underachieved. The Spaniard’s contract was due to expire at the end of the World Cup, and the 52-year-old said after Portugal’s exit in Dallas that he won’t continue as the national team boss. “Yes, this is my last game with the national team," Martinez told reporters post-match. “I’m proud. I’ve had 45 games, and I felt welcomed in Portugal and loved. It’s a memory I’ll take with me always.“It was a pleasure, a source of pride and responsibility. It’s hard, but it's the end of a cycle, and in the context it makes absolute sense.”Portugal will now look to build towards the next World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Morocco in the summer of 2030. What Went Wrong for Portugal at the World Cup?Portugal exited the World Cup with a whimper. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty ImagesWhile Martínez insisted that his team “didn’t fail” in North America, there’s no denying that the Iberians underwhelmed. Portugal was held by DR Congo and fortunate to escape with a goalless stalemate against Colombia, which meant it finished runner-up in Group K and was forced to embark on a gauntlet run to the final.Croatia was just about bypassed in the round of 32, and while Spain was always going to be a mighty test, Portugal should’ve been buoyed by its success in last year’s Nations League final. Instead, Martínez’s Portugal performed rather cowardly amid a drab affair. His game model is cautious and conservative, failing to get the very best out of a standout midfield. Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes particularly suffered, with Martínez instructing his team to avoid central progression in favor of wide combinations. Rafael Leão was its standout performer against Croatia, but found himself on the bench against Spain. Leão teed up Gonçalo Ramos for the winning goal in the round of 32, yet the Paris Saint-Germain striker was forced to watch on as Martínez continued to appease a Ronaldo so blatantly beyond even his twilight.The 41-year-old played the entirety of all but one of Portugal’s matches at the tournament, including Monday’s defeat. Martínez was blinkered by Ronaldo’s greatness and failed to recognise that subservience to his strong ego undermined what could’ve been an excellent collective.Across two tournaments, Portugal drew a blank in three of its four knockout stage matches. Ronaldo merely has a penalty to shout about in World Cup crunch time. It’s time to move on.READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow