Roberto Martinez Biography: Net Worth, Salary, Family, Lifestyle and Career Stats

Roberto Martinez is a Spanish manager currently in charge of the Portuguese National Team. The 51-year-old was a defensive midfielder during his playing days. Having spent his playing career with teams in lower leagues and relegation-battling teams, he became an expert at managing them.

Roberto Martinez earned a great reputation at Swansea and Wigan Athletic for achieving excellent results on a shoestring budget and tight conditions. After a stint with Everton, he took the job of Belgium National Team. It was where he saw his credentials certified by many. He became the architect of Belgium’s second Golden Generation.

The story did end sadly but Martinez was unfazed. The Spaniard is now at the helm of his Iberian neighbor Portugal. After a promising Euro 2024, he is setting his sights on an even more successful 2026 World Cup in the United States of America.

Martinez’s possession-based flexible approach is an excellent way of managing games. He has left his blueprint on this system and he was a source of inspiration for multiple younger coaches like Brendan Rogers and Graham Potter.

Let’s dive in and find out more about Roberto Martinez, his net worth, salary, career stats and trophies.

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Roberto Martinez Bio

Full Name	Roberto Martinez Montoliu
Gender	Male
Date of Birth	July 13, 1973
Age	51
Nationality	Spanish
Place of Birth	Balaguer, Spain
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 inch)
Current Team (s)	Portugal
Religion	Christianity
Zodiac Sign	Cancer
Weight	76 KG
Relationship Status	Married
Wife	Beth Thomson
Children	2

                                                      

Roberto Martinez Career

Club Career

Roberto Martinez had quite an eventful playing career. He was a defensive midfielder and had the Spanish elegance in his style of play. He also was a prolific goal scorer and often competed with forwards for goals. He joined his hometown club of Balaguer as an eight-year-old in 1981.

However, he moved to Real Zaragoza to have a professional career. He was a regular feature of the Zaragoza B team and helped them win the promotion to the Segunda Division in 1994. He managed to make only one appearance for the senior sides in La Liga as a substitute. He lifted the Copa del Rey despite not making an appearance in the competition as he was on the bench.

Martinez then returned to his club Balaguer as a first-team player this time. He also ran a football school for the club and developed a love for coaching and managing. Dave Whelan, Wigan Atheltic’s Chairman was in Spain and was impressed by Roberto Martinez.

Whelan signed Martinez as a free agent in 1995 alongside fellow Spaniards Jesus Seba and Isidro Diaz. Known as the “Three Amigos”, the trip helped Wigan win a promotion. Martinez finished as Wigan’s top scorer in the 1995-96 season and was named in the Division Three PFA Team of the Year.

In the 1996-97 season, they went one better and won the Third Division as Roberto Martinez lifted his first title as an active player and retained his place in the Team of the Year. He also won the Football League Trophy in 1999.

He then had a brief spell with Motherwell in July 2001. He only spent one season in Scotland before the club ended administration and he had his contract terminated. He again spent another half year at Walsall and it was a forgettable one as he was a regular on the bench.

In 2003 January, Martinez joined Swansea on a short-term contract. He was quickly made the captain and helped them survive in the Football League on the last day. Despite interest from top-flight clubs, Martinez signed a long-term contract with Swansea. Even after losing his place under Kenny Jackett, Martinez fought back to start and help his side win promotion to League One in 2005.

After leaving Swansea on a free transfer to Chester City in 2006, he returned as a player-manager to them in 2007. He replaced Kenny Jackett who let him go in 2006. Since he arrived outside the transfer window he wasn’t allowed to play and managed the club since February 2007.

Despite having the chance to enter as a player in the summer of 2008, Martinez found his true calling. He felt he couldn’t commit to his managerial duties as a player-manager. Hence he brought an end to his playing career at 33 and became a full-time manager.

Clubs	Period	Appearances	Goals	Assists
Real Zaragoza	1990-94	1	0	0
Balaguer	1994-95	32	18	5
Wigan Athletic	1995-2001	187	17	7
Motherwell	2001-02	16	0	0
Walsall	2002-03	6	0	0
Swansea City	2003-06	122	4	10
Chester City	2006-07	31	3	5

                          

International Career

Roberto Martinez was never the most technical player in Spain. He knew it and was happy to achieve his mini goals and have a successful professional career. Though he dreamed of a call-up from the national team, it never arrived. Spending too much time in the lower leagues did hurt his reputation. He has compensated for his thirst for international football by becoming an international manager.

International Team	Spain
Appearances	0
Assists	0
Goals	0

                    

Roberto Martinez Coaching Career

Roberto Martinez had coaching experience right from his playing days at Balaguer. The chance to sign for Swansea again as a player-manager excited him. He arrived at Swansea intending to continue his player career too. But the managerial aspect hooked him in and he hung up his boots as a player.

The prospect of an inexperienced Martinez managing them oddly managed to excite the Swansea fans as they were hoping for a new adventure. They lost only once in his first 11 games and almost made it to the playoffs in 2006.

Martinez showed the world he was the next big thing in the making. His possession-based football created plenty of chances for the Swans and the Liberty Stadium enjoyed it. After winning his first League One Manager of the Month Award in October 2007, Martinez never looked back. He went on to win the League One title and secured promotion and also won the Manager of the Year Award.

Martinez helped Swansea establish themselves as a stable club in the Championship. He repelled multiple offers from Premier League clubs and vowed to stay till he was “forced out.” But a chance to manage Wigan Atheltic in the Premier League turned his head as he signed for them on a 3-year deal in 2009 and was promised job security even if they suffered relegation. This enraged the Swans fans and they termed him “El Judas”.

Dave Whelan, who offered Martinez the chance to play in England for the first time also provided him to manage in the Premier League for the first time. Severe inconsistency was the theme of Martinez’s first season at the DW Stadium. He suffered heavy defeats but also registered great home victories against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

In 2011, Martinez turned down an approach from Aston Villa to join them. Relegation was a real possibility in 2011-12 but his side had an epic turn of form in the run-in. They won seven out of their last 9 games to finish 15^th and Martinez also helped himself to his first Premier League Manager of the Month Award in April 2012.

In the summer of 2012, Roberto Martinez wanted to create a legacy at Wigan and didn’t move to Liverpool. The 2012-13 season played a key part in his legacy as well. It was the first time a club relegated from the top flight managed to win the FA Cup.

Martinez’s late heroics delayed the inevitable in 2012 but in the following season, they were hammered in the league. This did not deter Wigan from reaching their first-ever Wembley semi-final. They beat Millwall 2-0 and set up an epic finale date with Manchester City in 2013.

Roberto Martinez’s side displayed incredible defensive resilience to hold a dangerous Manchester City side. Martinez threw Ben Watson onto the pitch and he grabbed a superb winner as Wigan lifted their first-ever FA Cup in 2013.

A mere three days later, their relegation to the Championship was confirmed as they lost 4-1 to Arsenal. Dave Whelan admitted Martinez said he wasn’t the man to lead them back. Roberto Martinez was given the freedom to speak with Everton and he joined them in 2013. Martinez promised to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

He did almost deliver as Everton played some of their best football under Martinez. They did the first league double over Manchester United since 1970 and also registered their club record points tally. After finishing fifth, they qualified for the Europa League.

They made it to the round of 16 in the Europa League, but their league form was concerning. Despite making it to the semis in the FA Cup and League Cup in 2016, he was sacked by Everton due to fan unrest.

Martinez’s ability to work with minimal resources and achieve more with a group of underdogs prompted Belgium to court him. Belgium were a perennial dark horse on the international stage and needed someone to make them a genuine threat.

Martinez was credited as the architect of Belgium’s modern Golden Generation. He used a 3 at the back formation on the international stage showcasing his flexibility. Eden Hazard was the lynchpin of the Golden Generation. They also had stars like Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, Toby Alderwierald, Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois.

Belgium were an entertaining side to watch and played some fast and furious football. They were the first to qualify for the 2018 World Cup from Europe. Eden Hazard played a starring role as they made it to the semis in Russia.

They narrowly lost 1-0 to neighbours France. But an excellent display against England won them a bronze medal at the World Cup. Belgium exceeded everyone’s expectations at the World Cup and Roberto Martinez’s praises knew no end then.

His side topped the FIFA World Rankings for three years between 2018 and 2021. Despite the highs, the team wasn’t able to win any tournament. Cracks started appearing in the Belgium team. Ego clashes, players not speaking to each other and other dramas emerged. Roberto Martinez failed to get the best out of them at the Euros.

The 2022 World Cup was nearly disastrous. They went from finishing third in the tournament to third in their group. That marked the end for Martinez in Belgium as he decided to resign from the post.

Martinez had the chance to return to club management but he waited and picked Portugal as his next destination. His side won 10 out of 10 games in the qualifying and set a national record.

Portugal put an extremely solid display at the 2024 Euros. They won their group and won the round of 16 clash against Slovenia on penalties after the game ended 0-0. A similar fate was awaiting them in the quarters against France but Joao Felix fluffed his lines from the spot as they 5-3 on penalties.

Roberto Martinez was praised for Portugal being a defensive rock but at the same time, criticism was aimed for making them too conservative and goal-shy despite having some of the best attackers including Cristiano Ronaldo.

He is working on more attacking patterns now and wants to maximize his side at the 2026 World Cup.

Club	Matches	Win	Draw	Loss
Swansea	127	62	3773	28
Wigan Athletic	175	51	46	78
Everton	143	62	37	44
Belgium	80	56	13	11
Portugal	26	20	2	4

    

Roberto Martinez’s Tactics and Style of Play

Speaking in an interview with BBC, Martinez once said how much he loved football. He said he could never have enough of watching, playing and talking football. This love he has for the game made him take coaching even during his playing days. He said he was inspired by the people he saw and worked with closely in his native Spain.

He credits John Toshack, the ex-Real Madrid and the ex-Real Sociedad manager for a tactical revolution in Spain. His father who is also a professional footballer and a manager helped him pick up some things. But the biggest influence on Roberto Martinez was another man in Catalonia who changed football as we know it.

Johan Cruyff was one of a kind for Martinez who changed the way they do things in football. Inspired by Cruyff he developed his style of possession-based tactics. He took the key aspects of fluidity and versatility from them.

Martinez is comfortable playing a three at the back and can also field a four-man back. He craves for control on the control. He prefers his centre-backs as duel winners and smart passers who could break the lines. His full-backs should be full of energy and provide the cutting-edge in attack.

He always appreciates having a playmaker with extreme creativity levels like Hazard and De Buryne in his ranks. Martinez does an excellent job of holding the dressing room together. The way he unified the multi-cultural pallet of the Belgian team and had them playing their best football ever was a testament to his man-management skills.

However, he also lost control of the same dressing room he created in recent times. Also, he has become too conservative focusing on defence more than offence. In a game that thrives on goals now, the defence first approach is sticking out like a sore thumb. Perhaps it is time for him to undergo one more tactical evolution.

Martinez apart from being a coach also guides other younger coaches. He was the technical director of Belgium and scouted multiple young talents for the national side. He will always be happy to help his peers and players get their coaching licenses.

He helped Vincent Kompany obtain his coaching license and helped multiple young coaches as well.

His influence as a coach is also excellently visible as multiple coaches at Swansea and Wigan tried to play his model.

Roberto Martinez Achievements and Trophies

Roberto Martinez might not be the most decorated manager ever. He did win some trophies as a player and manager. But we all know that this game is much more than winning silverware. Martinez did leave an ever-lasting legacy on the game.

As a player, he lifted the Copa del Rey by just appearing on the bench in 1994 for Real Zaragoza. A couple of trophies were hard-earned at Wigan Atheltic. The Football League Trophy won by Swansea in 2006 is close to his heart and he was named in the PFA Team of the Year twice.

As a manager, he won the League One title in his first-ever season in 2008. It was a sign of things to come. The FA Cup triumph in 2013 will always go down as one of the best underdog stories in football.

That was the last trophy he won as his Belgian side won the third-place medal in 2018 at the World Cup.

Individually, he won Manager of the Month awards multiple times and the Belgian Sports Coach of the Year in 2018.

Competition	Title	Year
Football League One	1	2007/08
FA Cup	1	2012/13

                                 

Roberto Martinez Family

Roberto Martinez might have had a forgettable spell with Motherwell career-wise, but he made memories for a lifetime as a person. In Scotland, he met the love of his life, Beth Thomson. The couple met in 2002 and dated for seven years.

In 2009, they tied the knot at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Swansea. It was a lavish wedding affair as Jordi Cruyff, the son of the legendary Johan Cruyff acted as the best man for Martinez.

Beth Thomson is an event manager in Scotland. The couple is blessed with two wonderful daughters, Luella and Safiana.

Roberto Martinez outside of football has a bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy. He also has a postgraduate diploma in business management from Manchester Metropolitan University.

He is a family man and admits to spending most of his free time with his daughters watching football and doing their studies.

Roberto Martinez Net Worth & Salary

Roberto Martinez is paid handsomely by the Portuguese National Team. He draws an annual salary of €6 million a season. The manager could’ve earned a lot during his younger days had he simply accepted moved to bigger sides. The Spaniard was loyal to his clubs and never left for greener pastures when he had the chance.

This shows how well he values the spirit of the game over the riches. He accumulated a net worth of over €30 million from his player days and as a manager.

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