Jorge Jesus Appointed as Portugal Coach—Ronaldo's Role Clarified
Portugal have turned to one of their most seasoned tacticians for the next World Cup cycle, appointing Jorge Jesus on a four-year deal that runs through to the 2030 tournament the country will co-host with Spain and Morocco.
The decision comes on the back of a bruising summer. Portugal went out of the World Cup in the last 16, edged 1-0 by Spain, and Roberto Martinez had already signalled his intention to step aside after a reign that began in January 2023. The federation has responded by choosing experience, edge and a coach who knows the country – and its biggest star – inside out.
Ronaldo remains central to the plan
Jesus, 71, arrives with one immediate question hanging over him: what now for Cristiano Ronaldo?
The forward confirmed after Portugal’s exit on Monday that this World Cup would be his sixth and last. What he did not do was declare a full stop on his international career. That leaves a delicate call for any incoming coach. Jesus did not dodge it.
Speaking on Friday, he described the 41-year-old five-time Ballon d’Or winner as a “symbol of Portuguese football” and made it clear that, as long as Ronaldo is still performing, the door will remain open.
“As long as he's playing and is in a condition to be selected, I will pick him, within certain limits and under the conditions that I consider best for the national team,” Jesus said, outlining a stance that respects Ronaldo’s stature but underlines who will set the terms.
He stressed there has been no conversation yet with his former player. The pair worked together at Al Nassr last season, winning the Saudi Pro League title during Jesus’ one-year spell in charge. That collaboration, he insisted, was straightforward.
“I haven't spoken with [Ronaldo] yet. [He] is never going to be a problem for the national team. Not for the national team, nor for me. I had great pleasure working with him this past year, [it's] easy to work with him.”
Ronaldo’s club contract at Al Nassr runs until 2027. How long he can, or wants to, carry on at international level will now be one of the defining storylines of Jesus’ early tenure.
A serial winner takes the reins
If Portugal wanted a coach accustomed to pressure and silverware, they have one. Jesus arrives with a bulging CV and a reputation for demanding, front-foot football.
He is fresh from a domestic treble with Al Hilal in the 2023-24 season, another chapter in a career that has taken him from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro and across the Gulf. Before that, he dominated at Benfica in his first spell, lifting three league titles in 2010, 2014 and 2015 and turning the club into a relentless machine in the Portuguese top flight.
His year in Brazil with Flamengo in 2019 was short but explosive: five major trophies, including the Brazilian title and the Copa Libertadores, and a team that swept through South America with a ruthless streak that made him a cult figure in Rio.
Those are the standards he will be expected to transplant onto a national side stacked with talent but still searching for a second global peak after the Euro 2016 triumph.
New era starts against Wales
The first glimpse of Jesus’ Portugal will come in the Nations League. His debut on the touchline is set for 24 September, when Portugal open their Group D campaign against Wales.
By then, the new coach will have had to make his first big calls: how heavily to lean on Ronaldo, how quickly to refresh the squad, how bold to be with a group that has often been accused of underachieving when it matters most.
The stage is set: a veteran coach, a legendary captain nearing the end, and a World Cup on home soil in 2030 looming on the horizon. Portugal have four years to turn that combination into something unforgettable.
