Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has looked back on his time at Everton.
Former Everton manager Roberto Martinez has told BBC Radio Five Live that he still gets satisfaction out of the ‘long-term project’ he oversaw at Goodison Park.
Martinez left Wigan Athletic to become the new Everton manager in the summer of 2013, as he was chosen as the successor to David Moyes following his move to Manchester United.
Martinez had impressed at Wigan despite overseeing their relegation to the Championship in 2013, and he looked to be the perfect choice for Everton after he guided them to a fifth-placed finish in his first season, racking up 72 points – the highest Premier League points total in the club’s history.
Former Everton manager Roberto Martinez
However, the Spaniard struggled in his final two seasons at Everton, serving up two 11th placed finishes before being sacked following the penultimate game of last season, a 3-0 defeat at Sunderland.
Both Everton and Martinez have moved on since then, as the Toffees appointed Ronald Koeman as his successor, before Martinez made the surprise move into international management, replacing Marc Wilmots as Belgium boss.
Martinez has now looked back on his time at Goodison Park, telling BBC Radio Five Live that he wanted to bring Everton fans some silverware in the short-term, as they deserve success after so long without a trophy.
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez
The Belgium boss added that he still gets satisfaction from his long-term project, which saw him sign talented young players like John Stones – now of Manchester City following a big-money summer move – and Romelu Lukaku, as well as giving more first-team football to young midfielder Ross Barkley.
Martinez concluded by saying that he will treasure his Everton memories forever, even though he didn’t chance to finish his long-term project at Goodison Park, which he called a ‘very exciting opportunity’.
“In many aspects I had that short-term ambition to bring that silverware for everyone at Everton, as Evertonians the fans of that football club deserve that, it’s been too long since the last time they had silverware,” said Martinez.
“And then on the other side I still get satisfaction with our long-term project that we had in hand, seeing players that we invested in heavily, giving them big roles, like John Stones, Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku, that they have taken the football club clearly to a different level. Creating players that can be very important or they can good value in the market for like what happened with John Stones.”
“I will treasure those memories forever even though we couldn’t finish the job that I felt in the long-term a very exciting opportunity,” he added.
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