Cristiano Ronaldo will have a familiar face in charge of Portugal if he opts to continue his international career.
Widespread reports in Portugal on Tuesday confirmed Jorge Jesus would be the successor to Roberto Martinez, who stood down last night following the team’s World Cup exit to Spain.
Martinez’s contract was due to expire after the tournament and the Spaniard walks away having failed in his ambition to win a first major trophy for Portugal since their Euro 2016 success in France.
That task will now be entrusted to Jesus, who is a free agent after leaving Al-Nassr.
With Ronaldo as captain, Al-Nassr won the Saudi Pro League last season to hand the former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar his first major trophy since moving to the Middle East in 2023.
Jesus said in May that his sole reason for taking the job at the Riyadh club was to help his countryman lift silverware.
He said: “When I received the invitation from [Al Nassr CEO José] Semedo and Cris [Cristiano Ronaldo], I only accepted this challenge to help Cris win titles in Saudi Arabia. That was my purpose.
“Every title is different and for the nation of Al-Nassr, and for Cris as well, it’s fundamental. Especially for what he has done not only for Saudi Arabian football but also for Nassr.”
Ronaldo leaves World Cup stage with ‘clear conscience’ after Portugal exit World Cup
It is still likely that Ronaldo will retire from Portugal duty after a remarkable 233 appearances but he has vowed to take his time and not rush a decision in the immediate aftermath of last night’s disappointment in Dallas.
He told reporters: “I’m sad to leave the World Cup this way. As I said yesterday, I gave it my all, and I leave with a clear conscience. That’s the life of a footballer. You have to move forward.
“It was my last World Cup, yes. But as for the rest, there’s time to think, to be with my family, and not say things in the heat of the moment.”
Martinez hails ‘exemplary’ Ronaldo
The departing Martinez paid tribute to Ronaldo after sticking with the veteran rather than turning to the younger Goncalo Ramos.
“He’s been an exemplary captain,” he said.
“I arrived with Portugal at a time with a lot of confusion and doubts about Cristiano, and he’s been a role model, not just with goals and assists, what he does in the box, his commitment, how he experiences football. He’s an example, we have to celebrate him.
“We’re talking about an icon in football. There aren’t many Cristiano Ronaldos. We have to be thankful for what he did at this World Cup, he wanted to win it, as a player, a captain, on a human level, we’ll all take it with us forever. An example as the human being who is behind the sportsman.”
Sutton hammers Ronaldo and Martinez
Martinez received criticism for playing Ronaldo for the full 90 minutes against Spain, rather than bring Ramos off the bench, with BBC 5 Live pundit Chris Sutton accusing the former Belgium boss of “indulging Ronaldo” and claiming the striker “waddled round the pitch like a grandad”.
But Martinez said Ronaldo’s record meant he had to remain on the field.
“When you’re a team and you need a goal you can’t take Cristiano Ronaldo off,” Martinez added. “He can play 90 minutes, no problem. He’s a presence, he opens space, a dead-ball situation, anything in the box, it would make no sense.
“In extra time it probably would have made sense to use Goncalo Ramos. We had to keep the structure, it wasn’t the case to take your top scorer off in the 90 minutes.”
