Would it be Jose Mourinho on a part-time basis? Would Ruben Amorim take the job? What about Porto’s winning machine Sergio Conceicao? In the end, Portugal plumped for somebody far less sexy and exciting... Roberto Martinez.
The former Belgium manager left his post after a shock group stage World Cup exit in Qatar and many thought he would not return to a major European post for a while. He was touted for a couple of club jobs, but just over a month after leaving Belgium, he has been appointed Portugal boss.
"I am very happy to represent one of the national teams with the best talent in the world," said Martinez at his unveiling.
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"I am very excited to be here. From the first time I spoke with the president of the federation I knew this was a sporting project that would excite me. I understand there are great expectations and big objectives, but there is a great team of people at the federation and I have great excitement that together we can achieve those objectives."
Despite Martinez’s own excitement, it hasn’t been reflected by the Portugal fans, or the wider footballing public in general. For many, the Spanish boss is simply the man that wasted Belgium's Golden Generation. Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and co certainly could have won a major tournament when they were at their peak, but international competitions are so difficult to nail.
Their best chance came in 2018 when they beat Brazil at the World Cup, but ultimately lost to eventual champions France in the final four, who have shown how impressive they are over the past decade with three major final appearances. That was a huge disappointment, but Martinez had taken the national team to number one in the world rankings and made them genuine contenders at major tournaments.
They couldn’t get over the line, but that doesn’t mean Martinez was a complete failure. It’s the cut-throat nature of knockout and international football. Imagine how much more difficult club football would be if success was just based on the FA Cup, and around 10-12 total fixtures a year.
A new 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 at 🇵🇹 service: welcome, Coach Roberto Martínez! 🤝 #WearTheFlag
In some ways, Martinez typifies just how tough and different to club football, international management is. Much like Gareth Southgate at England, the lack of trophy doesn’t make him a disgrace, nor a complete failure. Instead, his managerial talents lie somewhere in between those derogatory insults and Pep Guardiola.
Talking of Guardiola, he is often the manager that is seen to be the number one in the world. But international football might as well be a different sport, such are the vast differences between the two. It’s far easier to be a club manager than it is an international one, that is for sure. You get to work with the players on a daily basis, you can sell the ones that don’t take your fancy, and go out and spend millions on the transfer market to find ones that do.
International managers don’t have that luxury. They are forced to deal with the hand they have, whether they like it or not. Only patience and a slice of luck when it comes to young players, can re-jig their squad to any noticeable extent.
So when nations, even those as big as Portugal, are looking for a new boss, they don’t have that much to go on. International experience is far more valuable than club trophies and over the past six years, Martinez could write a book on what he has learnt at Belgium.
Perhaps that final chapter, as we saw so blatantly at the last World Cup, would be letting go of players that are well past their best. What he decides to do with Cristiano Ronaldo in the early steps of his tenure, could dictate whether he is a success or not.
The trophy still eludes him, but there is time for that yet. In the tiny circle of experienced international football managers, Martinez has established himself as one of the prime assets. He may not be a name that excites fans, but Portugal have just made a sensible if not spectacular decision, that could pay off in sensational style.
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