What's your plan to deal with Ronaldo? Jesus answers the difficult question

FBL-POR-PRESSER

Portugal's new coach discusses his plan

New Portugal manager Jorge Jesus has laid out his plan for captain Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting the forward will remain a symbol for his country and that his name is destined to live in history.

Jesus took charge of Portugal in succession to Spain's Roberto Martinez after the national team's 2026 World Cup ended in the round of 16, beaten 1-0 by eventual champions Spain.

Ronaldo, 41, drew heavy criticism throughout that campaign despite scoring three goals, with some pundits arguing he had become a burden on the side.

"Ronaldo will not be any problem for the national team or for me personally," Jesus told Canal 11. "As for the ongoing debate, everyone has the right to their opinion."

He added, as reported by "Foot Mercato": "When the time comes to make a decision, I will speak individually with Cristiano and with all the other players."

"Cristiano is a symbol for Portugal, and his name will be immortalised in history, and I greatly enjoyed working with him (at Saudi side Al Nassr)," he continued. "I do not judge a player based on his age, and this applies to Cristiano as well."

The former Benfica, Al Hilal and Al Nassr boss stressed that his first Nations League squad, for the match against Wales on 24 September, will differ little from the one taken to the 2026 World Cup.

"Some might think that the new manager will come in and make many changes to the players," he explained. "But that will not happen. I am not naive. Moreover, I do not have enough time to call up many players who were not chosen for this squad. There are not a large number of players to choose from."

"Over the next four years, new players will undoubtedly emerge," he noted. "And the squad (for the UEFA Nations League) will not be far from the 2026 World Cup squad. Two or three new players, something like that."

Jesus also fired a warning to his future players. "If the national team does not deliver a better performance than the one it gave at the World Cup, then I will not be able to deliver a better performance," he said. "My coaching staff and I need to play more matches, otherwise we will remain here nurturing a dream we have had for years."

"We have wonderful players, but we have not achieved many honours," he concluded. "We won the European Championship ten years ago, and we won the UEFA Nations League twice, which is not the most important trophy, but it is the hardest, because you are always facing the best European national teams. Just last year, the national teams of Portugal, France, Germany and Spain reached the finals."