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Spain are reportedly considering Roberto Martinez as their next manager should Luis Enrique decide to step down from his position. This comes following La Roja's last-16 exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup on December 6.
They were beaten 3-0 by Morocco in a penalty shootout on Tuesday as the match ended goalless even after 120 minutes.
It marked the second consecutive time that Spain lost out in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup on penalties. They were eliminated in a similar fashion by Russia four years ago.
Their failure to go much further into the tournament has raised questions over Enrique's future as their head coach. Should he decide to quit, the Reds have already identified a replacement in the form of Roberto Martinez.
He resigned from his position as Belgium manager after the Red Devils failed to progress beyond the group stages in Qatar.
According to Marca, the former Everton man is on the list of considerations for the Spanish national team's managerial position. However, Marcelino Garcia Toral is the front-runner.
Former Real Madrid and Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is also in the running along with Luis de la Fuente, the coach of Spain's U-21 team.
Enrique first became La Roja's coach in July 2018 and quit in March the following year, only to return to management for the second time in November 2019.
He led them to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 last year. They also reached the finals of the UEFA Nations League just months later, where they were beaten by France.
Overall, the former Barcelona coach has managed 47 games with the national team, winning 26 and losing just seven.
Spain's promising 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign ends with a whimper
Spain were one of the most exciting teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, packed with an array of talented young guns. In fact, they were the third youngest side in the tournament.
A 7-0 shellacking of Costa Rica in their opening group match reinforced the belief that La Roja could make it further into the Qatar showpiece. However, it all went downhill for them thereafter.
Despite keeping a lion's share of possession, Spain struggled to break down their opponents. They netted only two goals across three games against Germany, Japan and Morocco.
In the penalty shootout against the Atlas Lions, the 2010 world champions missed all three of their spot-kicks. Their lack of experience eventually showed and it proved costly.
