"I'm going to try to learn Portuguese as soon as possible," warned Roberto Martínez from the podium where he introduced himself as the new Portuguese coach, the first in 101 years of history not to speak the country's language.
In a country proud of its culture and, of course, of its football, in all that history only a couple of coaches had come from other borders and they were Brazilian.
That wedge was set by Otto Gloria in two processes, one of them the unforgettable English World Cup in 1966 with the dazzling Eusebio on the pitch, and between 2003 and 2008 the world champion Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Now it's up to a Spanish coach to take on a major challenge, which according to Fernando Gomes, its new president, is a sign of courage: "He comes to succeed the coach with the most titles in the history of our country."
points out the head honcho of the Portuguese Football Federation.
With Fernando Santos on the bench, Portugal won the Eurocup in 2016 and the League of Nations in 2019.
"The place of birth was never relevant," explains Gomes.
Portugal, he assures, was looking for an ambitious coach, "knowledgeable about international football, used to training players at the highest level and with experience in the best championships and national teams."
“We respect the decision.
We would like a Portuguese coach because a national team is not the same as a team, but we understand that there were not many with a profile for the position who were available and Martínez comes from a good school and with a good track record", completes Jose Pereira, president of the group that brings together the Portuguese coaches.
The name of José Mourinho, current coach of Roma, was on the table.
But the only proposal, Gomes guarantees, was made to Martínez, freed from the commitment that bound him for the last six and a half years with the Belgian team, which he led to third place in the World Cup in 2018 and to lead for three years and half the FIFA ranking.
He will now begin a road to the next European Championship with Portugal in March, a soft landing with two games against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, followed by two games against Bosnia and Iceland at the end of this season.
In this situation, the Portuguese federation did not want to risk an internship while waiting to close an active coach this season who, eventually, could be Mourinho.
Martínez had the option of returning to Everton on the table, which has Frank Lampard on the tightrope, but has decided to continue in national team football and now appears exultant in Portugal.
“We have one of the most talented teams in the world.
There are high expectations and goals, ”he points out.
But he will have to manage the future in Cristiano Ronaldo's team, which has just joined the Saudi Arabian league.
The question is so important that it is unimaginable to think that the Spanish coach would not have carefully prepared an answer for his debut staged this Monday in Lisbon.
And that message refers to the current football contribution of a star who finished last World Cup as a substitute.
“Football decisions have to be made on the pitch.
I am not a coach who makes decisions in an office," says Martínez, who refers to Santos' call for that championship as a starting point to start working: "And Cristiano Ronaldo is on that list.
He has been in the national team for 19 years and deserves the respect of sitting down and talking.
And from there create the best team”.
Portugal faces the challenge of seeking new leadership and starting from a more than interesting base.
“There are 54 footballers under the age of 28 in the five major European leagues.
Benfica and Porto are in the round of 16 of the Champions League... We are in a process in which we have to make important decisions naturally", predicts the new coach, who is also looking for internal support through an assistant for whom he draws a profile, that of a former player with experience in the national team.
The commitment is until the 2026 World Cup. At that point Cristiano Ronaldo will be 41 years old, Pepe would already be 43. Portugal will change leaders from a base that it already has, with Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias or Bernardo Silva as references and an idea that his new coach promises "modern, with tactical flexibility, competitiveness and joy".
The laureate Santos was criticized for promoting a greyish style, but Roberto Martínez has been left with a difficult challenge ahead: the Portuguese federations already warn that the team must aspire to reach at least the semifinals in any competition they face.
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