Jorge Jesus Takes Portugal Job With Ronaldo Central to Plans

Portugal have turned to one of their most seasoned tacticians for the next World Cup cycle, handing Jorge Jesus a four-year contract that runs to the 2030 tournament the country will co-host with Spain and Morocco.

The 71-year-old steps into a role vacated by Roberto Martinez after Portugal’s limp exit in the last 16 of this summer’s World Cup, a 1-0 defeat to Spain that ended a campaign heavy on expectation and light on drama. Martinez had already confirmed he would walk away, bringing to a close a tenure that began in January 2023 and never truly caught fire.

Now comes Jesus: combustible on the touchline, meticulous on the training pitch, and already deeply familiar with the most powerful figure in the Portuguese game.

Jesus and Ronaldo, reunited

Jesus arrives with one immediate question hanging over him: what next for Cristiano Ronaldo?

The new head coach has already supplied his answer. For as long as Ronaldo plays at elite level, he remains in his plans.

Speaking on Friday, Jesus called the 41-year-old captain a “symbol of Portuguese football” and made it clear that, fitness permitting, he intends to keep calling on him. “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,” he said.

Those “limits” will define the early months of his reign. Ronaldo, whose Al Nassr contract runs until 2027, has just confirmed that this World Cup was his sixth and final appearance at the tournament. He has not, however, announced a full retirement from international football. The door is open. Jesus is holding it.

“I haven't spoken with [Ronaldo] yet,” he admitted, before making one point crystal clear: Ronaldo “is never going to be a problem for the national team. Not for the national team, nor for me.” Their year together at Al Nassr, crowned by the Saudi Pro League title, has given Jesus a rare vantage point on a global icon in the autumn of his career. “I had great pleasure working with him this past year, [it's] easy to work with him,” he added.

The message is unmistakable. There will be no rupture, no symbolic cutting of the cord. Any transition beyond Ronaldo will be managed, not imposed.

A serial winner with a volatile edge

If Portugal wanted a coach with a track record of winning and the personality to dominate a dressing room, they have found one.

Jesus arrives from a glittering spell in Saudi Arabia, where he led Al Hilal to a domestic treble in the 2023-24 season. Before that, he built his reputation – and his legend – at Benfica, winning league titles in 2010, 2014 and 2015 during his first spell in Lisbon and turning the club into a relentless domestic force.

His success is not confined to Europe. In Brazil, Jesus became a cult figure at Flamengo, packing a year with silverware. Five major trophies in 2019 alone, including the Brazilian title and the Copa Libertadores, cemented his standing as a coach who can walk into a giant of a club, handle the pressure, and deliver.

Portugal will demand exactly that blend of authority and daring. This is a squad rich in attacking talent, shaped by years of trying to balance Ronaldo’s presence with the rise of a new generation. The job now is to fuse those eras cleanly, with the 2030 World Cup looming on home soil.

Nations League debut and a long runway to 2030

Jesus will not have to wait long for his first test. His debut in the dugout comes on 24 September, when Portugal open their Nations League Group D campaign against Wales. It is not a friendly introduction. The Nations League may not carry the weight of a World Cup or European Championship, but it has become a proving ground for ideas, hierarchies and bold selections.

Every choice he makes in that match – and in the months that follow – will be viewed through the lens of 2030. Portugal are not just participants in that World Cup; they are co-hosts, standard-bearers, and under pressure to present a team capable of going deep into the tournament on their own turf.

Jesus has four years, a clear mandate and, for now, the blessing of the country’s greatest player. The tactical details will come. The debates over Ronaldo’s minutes, role and eventual farewell are inevitable.

What is not in doubt is the scale of the opportunity. Portugal have handed the keys to a coach who thrives on big stages and big personalities. The countdown to a home World Cup starts now – and Jorge Jesus will be judged on how he writes its opening chapters.