Martínez: A Brief Tenure…

Being a football manager means constantly being in the public eye, subject to critical evaluation and widespread judgment. For a national team coach, especially one not native to the country, this challenge is amplified by the natural passions patriotism ignites in everyone's reactions.

Roberto Martínez is no stranger to these pressures. Six years at the helm of a significant generational project in Belgium provided the Spanish coach with ample experience and awareness to tackle the Portuguese challenge with a solid foundation.

Winning a Nations League title boosted some confidence in his work, although all indicators from the outset pointed to a degree of conservatism, both in his usual squad selections and in the tactics and decisions made during matches.

Perhaps what was asked of Martínez was too much for his diplomatic and conciliatory nature. The demand was for a more assertive Portuguese team, one more capable of delivering on the pitch the responsibilities that had clearly been outlined in the statements of key figures, led by the President of the Portuguese Football Federation.

To surpass the quarter-final finish in Qatar in 2022 meant, at a minimum, reaching the semi-finals as an acceptable result. This seemed a complex objective, considering the coach's own characteristics.

A tournament far below expectations, and especially below the declared capabilities of the squad that played in the Americas, naturally triggered Roberto's quiet departure. That's football; it has a very short memory and is directly tied to results.

History will indeed remember the victory in the fourth edition of the Nations League. However, Euro 2024 and, more significantly, the poor performances coupled with the technical director's sometimes innocuous discourse regarding the 2026 World Cup, will linger. These do not make for the best calling card, in the near or distant future, should the Spanish coach be approached by a truly top-tier team in world football…

He is a leader. Perhaps even the greatest name in Egyptian football history. Hossam Hassan, now enthroned as the national coach of the Pharaohs, is an undeniable figure both on and off the bench.

With a very distinct character – fiery, approachable, proactive, yet also easily irritable – Hassan brings much of his temperament as a player to the African squad. The players recognize him as a true leader, not questioning his decisions and making individual sacrifice the collective strength of one of the continent's best national teams.

Egypt's impressive World Cup performance was no surprise. Even less so, for those who regularly follow the country's motivations, its fans, and its professionals, was the exceptional match against Argentina, which gave the world champions a scare.

Always, with one name at the forefront, serving as a technical, tactical, and above all, motivational beacon: Hossam Hassan, the coach who, while building his dynamic around three undeniable names (Salah, Marmoush, and Ziko), knew how to get the best out of a group of local players (from Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Pyramids), and lead the African squad to an excellent showing in their World Cup participation.

For many, the greatest referee in football history. For all, one of the very best, belonging to an extremely select group of class and quality.

The referee of the 2002 World Cup final in Yokohama between Brazil and Germany is now the chairman of FIFA's Referees Committee and, by extension, the main person responsible for appointing and assigning officiating teams in all global competitions.

He undoubtedly selected the best referees, assistant referees, and video assistant referees for football's biggest showdown on the planet, and provided all the conditions for the Team One crews to deliver, and continue to deliver, performances bordering on excellence.

He knows, better than anyone, that the human factor will always be present at every moment, in every decision, and will always influence the work of officials, both in the stadiums and in the remote VAR booths.

Therefore, the frustration of those who feel personally and professionally attacked by criticism from various quarters and origins is legitimate. Many of these criticisms (perhaps a significant majority…) come from those who have no idea of the skills, tools, and qualities each referee had to demonstrate to reach the stage of a World Cup.

Collina, being human, was indignant. And rightly so. His resume contains enough evidence to guarantee, by itself, a foundation of independence, quality, seriousness, and rigor in his work at the helm of global refereeing.

For a long time, during his extensive spell at Tottenham, he was a talking point in the football world for being one of the best strikers of his generation yet unable to win titles. The Spurs were indeed not the best guarantee of achieving that, until the possibility of a transfer to Bayern Munich emerged.

Harry Kane, as he is called, saw a door open to much greater visibility and competitive scope, envisioning a second phase of his career as he approached thirty.

This World Cup is a kind of icing on the cake: with a competitive and pragmatic England, Kane is their top scorer, captain, game orchestrator, and team unifier. A trump card in many aspects, very well utilized by Thomas Tuchel, the German who makes no secret of his ambition to lead the Three Lions to a top spot in the world hierarchy.

He might not finish as the top scorer in a tournament featuring Mbappé, Messi, and Haaland, but he leaves a trail of immense professional quality, immense commitment and determination, and total respect from teammates and opponents. That's no small feat, and it might even be enough to make England dream again, sixty years later, a nation that, in truth, has never forgotten how to play football at the highest level.

And he has proven it across the Atlantic.