Roberto Martinez has signed a contract extension that will see him remain as coach of Belgium’s national team until 2022.
The deal means Martinez will lead the Red Devils to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Martinez was first appointed head coach of Belgium in August of 2016.
His initial deal was for fours which was meant to expire at the end of the 2020 European football championships.
The championship has now been moved to 2022 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.
Martinez also led the team to third place in the 2018 World Cup, beating England in the third-place play-off.
Many expect the Belgians to land a major honour soon especially with seriously talented individuals like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois.
Indeed, many of the country’s top talents will be in their peak years when the next tournament rolls around, with only Dries Mertens and Thomas Vermaelen approaching their mid-30s ahead of next year’s Euros.
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!”
