Portugal have appointed Jorge Jesus as their new head coach, replacing Roberto Martinez following the team’s last 16 exit to Spain, and with him comes a familiar face in Cristiano Ronaldo.
Jesus coached Ronaldo at Al Nassr last season, guiding the club to the Saudi Pro League title, with Ronaldo scoring 29 goals in 33 appearances under him, averaging 87 minutes a game.
That relationship has left the door open for Ronaldo’s Portugal future, even after the 41 year old confirmed the World Cup just gone was his last at that tournament.
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“Cristiano is a symbol of Portuguese football, of the national team, and of Portugal, and this will always remain in history,” Jesus said. “As long as he has the conditions that allow him to join the national team, I will do what I see as best for the team.”
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
Ronaldo’s exit from this World Cup was a difficult one. Portugal were eliminated by Spain in the last 16, with Ronaldo finishing the tournament having taken 17 shots without creating a single chance for a teammate, the most by any player at a single edition since 1966.
He did score his first ever World Cup knockout goal, a penalty against Croatia in the round of 32, but questions were raised throughout about Martinez’s decision to continue building the team’s attack around him.
Jesus, who takes charge until the 2030 World Cup, said he had not yet spoken to Ronaldo about his plans but expected an open conversation. “We’re going to have a conversation between the two of us about what he wants to do with the future of his career,” Jesus said.
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Ronaldo leaves the World Cup stage with 11 goals in 27 appearances across six tournaments, the most of any Portugal player in the competition’s history.
For his country, he has scored a record 146 international goals in 233 caps, more than any player in the history of the men’s game, with Euro 2016 and two UEFA Nations League titles, in 2019 and 2025, sitting in his trophy cabinet.
Ronaldo has spent two decades chasing history, and with the enticing appointment of Jesus, there is little reason to think that stops now.
Photo: REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
