Bernardo Silva has been named the new captain of the Portugal national football team by head coach Jorge Jesus following Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement from international duty.
Ronaldo, 41, announced the end of his international career on Thursday, 5 November, after weeks of tension with the national team setup. The veteran forward had clashed with Jesus and left Portugal's September and October training camp early.
Speaking at a press conference reported by the Portuguese sports newspaper Record, Jesus explained that his choice of successor followed the squad's hierarchy of appearances. He said Silva is the player with the most caps for the national team after Ronaldo, followed in order by Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves and Bruno Fernandes.
Ronaldo leaves the international stage as the all-time leading scorer in men's international football, having captained Portugal to the 2016 European Championship title. Jesus, a veteran manager known for trophy-winning spells at Benfica and Flamengo, took charge of the national side after this year's World Cup.
Jorge Jesus reaction to Cristiano Ronaldo retirement
Jesus said he had expected the greatest player in the history of Portuguese football to step down from the national team during his tenure as coach, though he had not anticipated that the decision would come before the end of this year.
The 72-year-old coach said he had thought Ronaldo would return to the squad and had considered calling him to talk things through. He added that Ronaldo ultimately felt it was the best moment to walk away from international football and that such a departure had to happen sooner or later.
Jesus stressed that he had to respect the forward's decision while never ignoring what Ronaldo had done for Portugal and what he continues to represent, describing the former captain as a symbol of the country.
Conflict at Portugal training camp and Nations League fixtures
Jesus confirmed that Ronaldo did not tell him in advance about his plans to retire and that they have not spoken since. He said he learned the news at the same time as the public, when the decision was passed to him the previous day after Ronaldo released a video and a statement.
Jesus also made clear that he feels no guilt over the timing of Ronaldo's exit. He said he would not change anything about his actions, adding that he made every decision with the squad in mind and has always defended what is best for the team.
Portugal have made a perfect start under Jesus, winning all four of their matches in the UEFA Nations League, Europe's biennial international competition. They next face Denmark on 14 November at 20:45 and Wales on 17 November at 20:45.
