That sounds really good.”
Roberto Martinez smiles and reacts to the phrase “There comes a World Cup semifinalist” as he approaches the team that will talk to him at the Belgium base camp in Dedovsk. The interview is off to a good start: There’s probably no better way to greet him.
Hours away from what will be the most important game in his career and for the national team he currently coaches, a semifinal clash against France in Saint Petersburg, Martinez looks affable, relaxed and confident.
After a training session that had both rain and sunshine, Martinez, born in Spain, takes a few minutes to share his thoughts and feelings ahead of a game that could be one of the last two steps toward football heaven. It took several years and attempts for Belgium’s golden generation to show that they are ready to finally take that leap forward, and this coaching team has a lot to do with their current success.
When Belgium went out to Argentina in 2014, frustration could not conceal the fact that there would be more opportunities. A roster with most of its key players still under 25 meant that there was time to fulfill their potential. The objective, hard but realistic, was to be the best by 2018.
Martinez confirms that: “This players have been working together extraordinarily well for many years, and they deserve to be exactly where they are today.”