The
Spaniard, who guided the side to third place in the 2018 tournament, will get
another crack at football's most coveted prize
Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez has
signed a contract extension with the national side that will see him remain in
charge through to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Martinez,
who had previously taken on managerial roles at Swansea, Wigan and Everton, took charge of the Red Devils in
August of 2016.
The
Spaniard's original deal was set to come to an end following Euro 2020 – which has now been shifted
back a year due to the coronavirus pandemic – but a two-year extension will see
him guide a golden generation of players through two major tournaments, all
going well.
The
46-year-old had stated in recent months that it was his desire to remain in
Belgium's dugout for the European championships, where the nation will face Denmark,
Finland and Russia in
the tournament's Group B.
Belgium,
who are currently leading the way in FIFA's official world rankings, qualified
for the Euros in stellar fashion, winning all 10 of their match-ups while
conceding only three times and scoring 40 goals.
That,
of course, came after Balaguer-born coach led the team to third place in the
2018 World Cup, beating England in
the third-place play-off.
Martinez
is set to address the press on Wednesday to comment on his new deal alongside
CEO Peter Bossaert, President Mehdi Bayat and Director Marketing &
Communications Manu Leroy.
It
was team captain Eden Hazard who had the pleasure of announcing his boss' extension
first, however, with the Real Madrid winger
revealing the deal via a FIFA-style pack opening on the team's official
Instagram page.
“Okay,
let's see what coach we will get,” Hazard said. “Suspense, suspense,
suspense... no way... it can't be him. Oh... Roberto. The coach has signed!
That's great. The coach has signed! Ole! Ole!
“Hi
Romelu,” he added, in a pretend phone call with Lukaku. “All well? Did you see
the coach has signed? Yes, isn't it great news? Ok, bye bye!”
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