Roberto Martinez Explores Future with Al-Nassr, Not Portugal

Roberto Martinez is weighing up a future alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, but not with Portugal.

According to French outlet RMC Sport, the Portugal head coach is in talks with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, with discussions understood to have started even before the World Cup kicked off. The timing is no coincidence: his contract with the Portuguese federation runs out at the end of the tournament, and the next chapter is already being sketched out.

World Cup tension, Saudi pull

Martinez walked into this World Cup knowing there was a clock ticking in the background. Portugal opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo on Wednesday, a result that immediately complicated their route through Group K. They sit third, chasing Colombia, who moved top of the table after beating Uzbekistan later in the day.

On the touchline, Martinez managed the game. Off it, his future was already being negotiated.

RMC Sport reports that Al-Nassr opened talks with the former Belgium boss before a ball was kicked in the tournament. The Saudi club, already a global focal point thanks to Ronaldo, are again looking to add a marquee figure to their project, this time on the bench rather than the pitch.

Ronaldo at 40, still central

Ronaldo remains the common thread. At 40, he started for Portugal in that draw with DR Congo and completed the full 90 minutes, still the reference point in attack and still the name that shapes headlines and boardroom decisions alike.

Al-Nassr is his club. Martinez is his current national-team coach. The prospect of those roles overlapping in Riyadh adds an extra layer to the story, even if no agreement has yet been announced and no deal confirmed.

For now, Martinez’s job is clear: drag Portugal out of a tricky group and deeper into this World Cup. The question is whether, once that mission ends, his next team talk will be in a national-team dressing room in Europe or under the bright, unrelenting lights of the Saudi Pro League.