Roberto Martinez is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to win the World Cup with Portugal. The manager, known for meticulous planning, has a treasure trove of notebooks detailing every game he has ever been involved in. He hopes these notes will lead him to the greatest prize in football.
Preparation Obsession
The phrase 'fail to prepare, prepare to fail' could have been invented for Martinez. The former Wigan, Everton, and Belgium manager takes preparation to unprecedented levels. He will lead Portugal's World Cup campaign, aiming to crown Cristiano Ronaldo's career with the ultimate glory.
Failure is not an option for Martinez, but if he falls short, it won't be due to lack of effort. Since childhood, he has kept notebooks on games he has watched, played in, or managed. He brought some to North America for the World Cup, crediting his father, Roberto Martinez Snr, for this obsession.
Father's Influence
Martinez explained: 'I watched football through my dad. He would never say 'what a good goal,' but 'why did that happen?' I was a young boy wanting to discover why a winger had so much time to cut in and score. That was the conversation.'
He added: 'When I became a player, after a good game, I wanted to find out why. So I kept all the notebooks from training sessions. Since 1995, I have every single training session I had.'
Culture Shock in England
Martinez led Swansea to promotion, Wigan to FA Cup glory in 2013, and Everton to European qualification. However, he was shocked by English football culture upon arrival. 'In Spain, I thought everybody trained the same. When I arrived in England, I realised it was almost a different sport. It was completely different,' he said.
'In Spain, it was all about possession. You couldn't lose the ball. In the British game, it was about getting it into the box as quickly as possible. If you lose the ball, you have a chance to win it back. You see the game in a completely different way. I became obsessed with how a team can be organised through sessions.'
He concluded: 'Is it keeping the ball or forcing a team to lose it? In football, there is no right or wrong, as long as everyone executes at the same level and can be successful. I never prepared to become a manager, but I always enjoyed the game for how it could be played.'
