Jorge Jesus named Portugal boss, Ronaldo door stays open

Jorge Jesus takes over

Portugal have their man. Jorge Jesus was confirmed as the new head coach on Friday, replacing Roberto Martinez after the round of 16 exit to Spain (2) (4) (5). Jesus wasted no time addressing the question every fan has. "I haven't spoken to Cristiano yet. He will never be a problem for the national team, or for me," he said (2) (3).

Ronaldo, 41, had said the Spain defeat was his final World Cup. Jesus is not closing the door on the international career. Jesus pointed to his handling of Neymar as a reference: "I said to Neymar: 'You're the best in the world, you just need to listen to me'" (3).

Eight sources ran with the story, from Voetbalzone to the BBC (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8). The 101 Great Goals headline called Martinez's tenure a "World Cup disappointment" (8).

Benfica face Flamengo in Algarve friendly

Benfica start their pre-season Saturday against Flamengo in the Troféu do Algarve, the first glimpse of Marco Silva's new project (1). Flamengo bring a full-strength Brazilian side: Arrascaeta, De la Cruz, Paquetá, Pedro, Bruno Henrique, and former Benfica man Ayrton Lucas all feature (1). For Portugal fans, the interesting thread is who Benfica field. Otamendi, Jorginho, and Danilo are among the names listed (1).

Fan reactions

The Jesus appointment has split the room. The top post on r/soccer is simply the confirmation, and the comments are a referendum on whether this is ambition or a backwards step. One thread asks the blunt question: has Portugal surpassed England as the World Cup's biggest underachiever? That stings less than a week after Merino's goal. And the fallout from the Spain loss is still raw, Bruno Fernandes has turned off his post replies after a wave of abuse, much of it from Ronaldo fans accusing teammates of sabotaging the captain's farewell.