Jorge Jesus, the new technical director of the Portugal national team, stressed that he will speak with Cristiano Ronaldo to learn his future stance on joining the national team.
Jesus, aged 71, became Portugal's coach succeeding Spaniard Roberto Martinez, who departed after the team's exit from the 2026 World Cup in the round of 16 at the hands of Spain.
The Portugal coach said during the press conference to introduce him: "I have not spoken with Cristiano Ronaldo yet. When the time comes to make a decision, I will speak with Cristiano and with each individual separately".
He added, "Cristiano is a symbol of Portugal, his name will be immortalized in history, and I greatly enjoyed working with him. It is very easy to work with him, as long as he recognizes the limits of his capabilities and mine. But I must speak with him to know what he wants to do".
He continued, "Last year, Al-Nassr played 50 matches, while Cristiano played 31 matches. I brought him on as a substitute 16 times. We never confused his role as a player with my role as a coach. I will not lose any player, except due to injuries".
Ronaldo scored 29 goals in 33 appearances last season with Al-Nassr, winning the Saudi League title and losing the AFC Champions League 2 final.
He added, "Among the 26 players who were in the Portugal national team, 12 of them worked with me. I know them all very well, and they are all wonderful players".
He concluded, "The national team has a lot of talent, and I believe in everyone's abilities. New players will emerge in the next 4 years, and I will now focus more on developing youth football".
Ronaldo had previously revealed his future in the World Cup: "This may be my last participation in the World Cup and I hope, God willing, to enjoy it, but we will see".
As primeiras palavras de Jorge Jesus. 🎙🇵🇹 #ViemosParaVencer pic.twitter.com/yKiP0fa5pe
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) July 10, 2026
Portuguese newspaper A Bola had revealed that Jesus would take over the technical management of the Portugal national team until 2030, in exchange for an annual salary of 4 million euros.
The newspaper added that the Portuguese coach would bring his usual technical staff, which includes his assistant João de Deus, Fábio Jesus, along with fitness coach Márcio Sampaio, who had previously worked within Zamalek's technical staff.
Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus's journey with Saudi club Al-Nassr officially ended after reclaiming the Saudi League title absent for 7 years.
Al-Nassr tried to convince the veteran Portuguese coach to stay with the team after winning the Saudi League title, but he decided to leave.
Jorge Jesus became the third coach to win the Saudi League twice, after Gabriel Calderón and Ramón Díaz, and the second to achieve that with two different teams after Calderón.
Jesus raised his tally to 24 titles in his coaching career as the second most decorated Portuguese coach after José Mourinho.
