Martinez drops strong Barcelona hint

Robin Bairner

• 7 Oct 2021 02:00 CDT
• 3 min read

Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez has suggested that he would be interested in any opportunity to coach Barcelona.

Martinez is a favourite to replace Ronald Koeman at Camp Nou if and when the Dutchman is sacked from his post.

It had previously been suggested that Koeman would be replaced during the international break, but Barca’s staggering financial losses may have put off the Catalan club from spending the €10 million required to sack the boss.

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Martinez, though, appears to have made a wink towards the Barca board, indicating that he is interested in the type of project that would be offered to him with the Blaugrana.

“I always say that in football, I believe it is about relationships and football project. It doesn’t matter where it might be in the world, it's about having the time and means to have a long-term project and build something. That’s what I really enjoy, building something,” the former Swansea and Wigan boss told Goal.

“That’s the importance: the person that believes in you, rather than the nature of the league that you are working in.”

Barcelona certainly would be a long-term project, with the first-team needing dramatically reconstructed with limited finances to operate with.

Martinez ‘committed’ to Belgium

Martinez equally stated that he remains focused on his work with Belgium for now.

“My career shows that I don’t make plans to get to where I am now. I just go from project to project. You learn that you have to be committed to today. In football, if you start thinking ahead, you just drop your performance and underachieve in what you can do,” he said.

“In my case, I am very, very happy in what I am doing, and I am just trying to achieve the next steps. In the end, if I have to arrive at a decision where there’s a door. I will just try to make the best decision for everyone.”

While Martinez has kept Belgium at the top of the FIFA Ranking, he has yet to win a major competition with his adopted country but will compete in a Nations Cup semi-final against France in Turin on Thursday.