Italian Tedesco replaces Martinez as Belgium coach

Italian Domenico Tedesco has been appointed as head coach of Belgium, replacing Roberto Martinez, the Belgian federation announced on Wednesday.

Domenico Tedesco is the new head coach of our Devils. Good luck, coach! 🤝🇧🇪 #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/KeHHPbVpB3

— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) February 8, 2023

The 37-year-old, who previously coached German clubs Schalke 04 and Leipzig as well as Russia’s Spartak Moscow, signed a contract until after the next year’s European championship, which will be held in Germany.

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Martinez, who guided Belgium to the third place at the 2018 World Cup, was in charge of the red Devils for six years.

He stepped down after the team failed to progress to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Martinez’s departure coincided with the likely breakup of Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation,” an era featuring world-class offensive players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens.

Tesdesco’s main goal will be to rebuild the squad ahead of the European championship.

Belgium’s first game under the Italian will be the Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden on March 24.