Jesus says Ronaldo will never be a problem for Portugal

Jesus on Ronaldo: 'He will never be a problem'

New Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus addressed the Cristiano Ronaldo question head-on Friday. "I haven't spoken to Cristiano yet. He will never be a problem for the national team, or for me," Jesus said (2) (3) (7).

The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward confirmed Portugal 0–1 Spain was his final World Cup match. Jesus wants him to continue. The coach referenced his time managing Neymar as proof he can handle big personalities: "I told Neymar he had to run like the others" (3).

Jesus signs four-year deal after Martinez exit

Jesus takes over from Roberto Martinez, who stepped down immediately after the Spain defeat in the World Cup round of 16 (4) (8). The 71-year-old gets a four-year contract and his first task is clear: rebuild a side that lacked attacking edge in Dallas and lost to a late Mikel Merino goal (4) (2).

Jesus debuts with Benfica friendly Saturday

The new Portugal boss is also newly installed at Benfica, and he leads the club in a friendly against Flamengo for the Troféu do Algarve on Saturday (1). Names on the Flamengo side include Arrascaeta, Pedro, Bruno Henrique, and former West Ham man Paquetá. It is a first look at Jesus in the Benfica dugout.

Fan reactions

The Jesus appointment has fans split. Some on Reddit see a natural reunion with Ronaldo under a coach who values him, others think the 2006 semi-final under Scolari remains the ceiling for a generation that promised more. The debate over whether Portugal have overtaken England as the World Cup's biggest underachiever is alive and loud. Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes turned off his post replies after a wave of abuse from Ronaldo fans blaming him for the Spain exit. A grim postscript to the tournament. Read the discussion