Jorge Jesus has been appointed as Portugal’s new coach, increasing the chances of Ronaldo prolonging his international career.
As has been widely speculated since Portugal’s defeat to Spain, which led to Roberto Martinez’s resignation as coach of the Seleção, Jorge Jesus has been appointed as the next national team coach.
The appointment has not yet been officially announced, but the Portuguese press reported that it had been agreed and the move was met with the now famous phrase “Here we go!” Treatment from Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
It was widely reported that Portuguese Football Federation coach Pedro Proenca wanted to replace Martinez with Jose Mourinho a year ago, but when the Spaniard led Portugal to victory in the UEFA Nations League, he continued in the role.
With Mourinho now at Real Madrid for a second spell, Proenza has turned to Jorge Jesus, one of Portugal’s most successful coaches over the past two decades.
Bold, intense and passionate
JJ, as he is often referred to in Portuguese football, couldn’t be more different from Roberto Martinez. Forget the polite, diplomatic and smiling approach to all media duties. JJ is impulsive and will easily scold, bark, and be harsh with opinions that differ from his own.
Coach us all. 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/vW2gcOdcGr
– B24 (@B24PT) July 8, 2026
Even on the sidelines during matches, he is often seen protesting with his players in an animated manner if he feels they are not carrying out his instructions properly.
Jesus has an excellent record of producing winning teams, usually very entertaining teams. He is the main man responsible for pulling Benfica out of the worst period in its history. After ten years without a single league title, JJ returned the Lisbon giants to the top in Portugal, winning three championships and numerous other honors during his time at the Estadio da Luz, leading the team to two European finals.
His other notable achievement was winning five trophies in his only year with Brazilian giant Flamengo, including the Copa Libertadores and the Championship, paving the way for a flood of Portuguese coaches being appointed by Brazilian teams.
It remains to be seen whether Jesus’ intense and precise training methods can be successfully transferred to the Seleção. Can he mold Portugal to play according to his ideas when he has only a few training sessions spaced so far apart each year?
If so, we can certainly expect a more proactive approach from Portugal in major tournament matches than we saw under Fernando Santos and Roberto Martinez.
Increase the chances of Ronaldo continuing
Another fascinating aspect to keep track of is how the appointment will impact the role of some of Portugal’s leading players, given their past with GG, not least Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portugal captain said he would never play a World Cup again. It has not yet been said whether it will be available for the Euros or not. Jesus was Ronaldo’s coach at Al Nassr last season, where he led the team to their first league title since Ronaldo was in Saudi Arabia, and he praised the striker for the role he played in the victory. Maybe we will see Ronaldo playing in a Portugal national team shirt.
Jesus has also worked well with Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix. The former exploded into a world-class midfielder while playing under JJ at Sporting, while the veteran manager helped revive Felix’s career at Al-Nassr last season. Felix was named the best player in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
On the other side of the coin, Jorge Jesus has publicly clashed with Bernardo Silva in the past, which could make it difficult for them to work together.
amazing. Jorge Jesus is not mincing his words regarding Bernardo Silva. I will provide some background information and try to explain it. https://t.co/CAGJSFiDU7
– Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) October 27, 2020
Jesus has also coached several other members of the current Portugal squad throughout his career: Joao Cancelo (Benfica and Al Hilal), Ruben Dias (Benfica), Tomas Araujo (Benfica), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Gonzalo Ramos (Benfica), Gonzalo Guedes (Benfica) and Rafael Leao (Sporting).
A new chapter in the Seleção’s career, and it will not be boring at all.
