New Portugal boss Jesus tells Ronaldo he must earn his place after World Cup exit

Jorge Jesus has delivered a clear message to Cristiano Ronaldo after being unveiled as Portugal’s new head coach on Friday: the 41-year-old is still wanted, but his place in the squad is not guaranteed.

Ronaldo’s international future has been in doubt since Spain eliminated Portugal from the World Cup in the round of 16, with a late goal ending what Ronaldo himself confirmed would be his final World Cup campaign. His sister added to the speculation during the tournament by claiming he had already decided to retire from international football this summer, while some fans and media figures questioned his role as first-choice striker.

Jesus, who succeeds Roberto Martinez, moved quickly to address the situation after his appointment. “I haven’t spoken to Cris yet. He will never be a problem for the national team or for me,” he said. “When the time comes to make a decision, I will speak with Cris and with everyone else individually. Cris is a symbol of Portugal. He will go down in history.”

However, Jesus made clear that selection would be conditional. “I need to speak with him to find out what he wants to do,” he said. “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.”

Jesus is no stranger to managing Ronaldo, having coached him at Al-Nassr — where he guided the club to the Saudi Pro League title in May. That familiarity appeared to inform his relaxed tone on the subject of Ronaldo’s age. “Age doesn’t matter. Look at Cris. Under me, he used to cover eight kilometres per match, reaching speeds above 25km per hour,” he said.

Jesus also pointed to a measured approach to Ronaldo’s workload during their time together in Saudi Arabia. “He played in 31 of 50 games last year. I substituted him 16 times and there were never any problems.”

The new Portugal manager noted that 12 of the players called up for the World Cup had already worked under him, giving him a head start as he begins rebuilding the squad after their tournament exit.