Cristiano Ronaldo will “never be a problem” for Portugal or their new head coach Jorge Jesus, who will select the striker if he wishes to continue his international career.
Ronaldo’s hopes of lifting the World Cup appear to be over after Portugal were beaten 1-0 by Spain in the round of 16 on Monday, which proved to be Roberto Martinez’s final game in charge.
Ronaldo will be 45 by the time the 2030 tournament rolls around, with Portugal co-hosting alongside Spain and Morocco.
He confirmed before the Spain defeat that this year’s World Cup would be his last but insisted he would not make any “rash decisions” on his international future, with some suggesting he could continue at least until Euro 2028.
And after being announced as Martinez’s successor on Friday, Jesus – who won the Saudi Pro League title with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr last season – hit out at the striker’s critics.
“I haven’t spoken to Cristiano yet. He will never be a problem for the national team, or for me,” he told reporters at his unveiling.
“Regarding the controversy, everyone can think what they want. When I have to make a decision, I’ll talk to Cristiano and everyone else individually.
17 – Most shots on record (since 1966) at a single edition of the FIFA World Cup without creating a single chance for a teammate:
Cristiano Ronaldo, 17 (2026)
Alberto Garcia Aspe, 15 (1998)
Jerzy Gorgon, 13 (1974)
Katlego Mphela, 13 (2010)
Denis Cheryshev, 13 (2018)Ego. pic.twitter.com/RoXzmLjs6v
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 6, 2026
“Cristiano is a symbol of Portugal. He will go down in history, and I got great pleasure from working with him. It’s very easy to work with him.
“But I have to talk to him, to know what he wants to do. He always told me he wants to end his career at Al-Nassr. If I am able to call him up, I will do so.”
Martinez was fiercely criticised for sticking with Ronaldo throughout Portugal’s ill-fated World Cup campaign, as he played 441 minutes – the second-most of any outfielder in their squad after ever-present defender Renato Veiga (450).
But Jesus insists there will never be any pressure on him to pick Ronaldo, citing the fact that he substituted the five-time Ballon d’Or winner on 13 of his 30 Saudi Pro League appearances last season, though the striker did average 87 minutes per game under him in all competitions.
“Last year, we never confused that he is a player, and I am the coach,” Jesus said.
“Egos exist in all teams. It is more difficult to work with those who think they are great players than with those who are really good players.
“This is the case in the national team. They are all great players for the best teams in Europe, who win titles. We are here to win titles, and everyone will have to pay a price.
“The team has a lot of quality, and I believe in everyone. New players will appear in the next four years, and now I will be more involved in the evolution of youth football.
“Only six players are over 30 years old, and two of them are goalkeepers. It’s not an old team; they have an average age of 28, the best period for a player.”
29 – Cristiano Ronaldo scored 29 goals in 33 appearances under new Portugal manager Jorge Jesus last season for Al Nassr, playing an average of 87 minutes per game.
Reunited. pic.twitter.com/PuhCkESMfC
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 10, 2026
Jesus also added that if Ronaldo elects to continue playing, he will be part of an initial five-man leadership group, alongside Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and Diogo Dalot.
“As for the captains, there are five: Cristiano, Bernardo, Bruno, Ruben and Diogo. I don’t know what the order is,” Jesus added.
“I am not used to the number of years with the team influencing who is captain – the captain is much more than that. The captain is the maximum exponent of the coach’s thinking.”
Jesus’ first games in charge will be in the Nations League, as an extended international break in late September and early October sees Portugal face Norway (twice), Wales and Denmark.
