Leicester City defender Timothy Castagne has defended Roberto Martinez, insisting he has been a success with the Belgian national team.
Martinez left his job as Belgium manager yesterday after the 0-0 draw with Croatia saw the Red Devils fail to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup.
The Spaniard resigned immediately afterwards, making it clear that the decision to depart had been made before the tournament rather than as a result of their disappointing exit.
Martinez has received a wave of criticism for the exit, with many believing he has failed to fully utilise Belgium’s Golden Generation and get the maximum out of them.
That seems an unfair criticism for a manager who won 56 of his 79 matches in charge and only lost ten, as well as finishing third at the 2018 World Cup and reaching the top of the FIFA rankings.
Leicester City defender Castagne was a regular under Martinez since making his debut in 2018, making 29 appearances for him, including in all three games at this World Cup.
He was one of the many disappointed by the result but speaking to Marca after the game, the Leicester man was keen to defend his departing manager.
“Yes, after the game. He said he was sad. We didn’t know anything,” he told the newspaper when asked if Martinez had said goodbye in the dressing room.
“(I’d give him) an 8 or a 9, even a 10. He has done a lot of good things for football in Belgium, not only for the national team. We have to be very grateful to him.”
