Roberto Martinez Reportedly Leading Candidate for Everton Manager Job

Will Roberto Martinez side with Everton?

The 48-year-old Spanish football coach and former professional player is the leading candidate to replace Rafael Benitez as Everton manager, according to ESPN sources.

Roberto MartinezMartinez, the current Belgium coach, has received strong backing from the Goodison Park hierarchy following the firing of Benitez after just 200 days in charge.

Former Everton forward Wayne Rooney, now managing Championship club Derby County, is being linked with a return to Goodison, but sources have told ESPN that Martinez is the leading contender at this stage.

Martinez, who spent three years in charge at Everton between 2013-2016, is being considered as both a short-term option and long-term successor to Benitez by senior figures at the club.

Having guided Belgium to qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar later this year, Martinez’s determination to see through the job he started in 2016 could prevent him taking the Everton job on a full-time basis until after the tournament.

But having missed out on a return to Everton last summer due to the decision of owner Farhad Moshiri to hire former Liverpool boss Benitez, Martinez is now the leading candidate to go back to the club due to his success with Belgium and reputation for playing attractive, attacking football.

Martinez was favored by Marcel Brands, who left his role as Everton director of football in late-2021, when Carlo Ancelotti left the club for Real Madrid last summer. But although he was regarded as Brands’ candidate, he retains support at Goodison.

Assistant manager Duncan Ferguson is expected to take charge of Everton against Aston Villa next Saturday, enabling the club to spend time during the international break which follows to appoint an interim or permanent manager.

Higuain’s Gorgeous Goals Puts Argentina into the World Cup Semifinals

World Cup 2014

Gonzalo Higuain has helped propel Argentina into the FIFA World Cup semifinals for the first time in 24 years.

Early in Argentina’s game against Belgium, the Argentinean footballer blasted a half-volley inside the far post on Saturday at Estadio Nacional to give La Albiceleste a 1-0 lead in the match.

Gonzalo Higuain

Higuain’s netting in the eighth minute gave his team all they would need to advance.

With the win, Argentina has advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 1990 and further buttressing his reputation as one of the sport’s all-time greats.

In pursuit of its first crown since Diego Maradona’s 1986 squad, Argentina will face off against the Netherlands in Wednesday’s match in Sao Paulo.

“Argentina has gone a long time without doing this,” sais Lionel Messi, “and it was us who crossed the frontier.”