Jesus and the Apostles

If there's one country where taking on the role of national team coach is anything but easy, it's certainly Portugal. Football plays an increasingly central role in the lives of many Portuguese, whether they succumb to the endless array of television programs and discussions on the topic, offering multiple angles and diverse opinions, or due to the intrinsic passion, recognized worldwide, but which, in the Latin belt of Europe, finds very special reasons and motivations.

Everyone's a coach, everyone has an opinion, everyone emphasizes reasons that are sometimes unfathomable, and everyone likes to assert their principles, often prioritizing club loyalties over a more balanced and objective view of reality.

Jorge Jesus knows the country well and understood the challenge ahead. Following a World Cup that definitively did not go well for Portugal, with the national team falling far short of expectations and, crucially, the goals set by the Portuguese Football Federation itself, Roberto Martinez's departure became obvious. Naturally, the pool of candidates for his replacement narrowed significantly, given the ambitions of a Portuguese team that, in the last ten years, has won a European Championship and two Nations Leagues, reached the quarter-finals of the Qatar World Cup four years ago, and expects to host the entire world in 2030 when it co-hosts the biggest global football tournament.

The Portuguese national team is currently undergoing a necessary regeneration, considering generational shifts and the emergence of a group of talented and destined young players who, if properly guided, developed, and nurtured, can ensure national football remains competitive for the next decade.

As in all similar situations, it's crucial to carefully time and gauge the extent of change, ensuring it unfolds as naturally as possible, never forgetting the players who, in recent years (some, for many years...), have been the bedrock of excellent performances in international competitions.

At this juncture, here lies Jesus's first – and very important – task as the head of the "Seleção das Quinas": not to lose focus on immediate competitions (Portugal, having already won it twice, enters the fifth edition of the Nations League as defending champions), rightly viewing this tournament and the subsequent Euro 2028 qualifiers as challenges he cannot neglect. Simultaneously, he must, with a "fog lamp" approach, understand the broader context of Portuguese football on the international stage, the motivations of new waves of players, and the need to scout a broad group that can, from the outset, guarantee sufficiently robust competitive levels to avoid any unnecessary risks.

A first squad selection diametrically opposed to Roberto Martinez's call-ups for the final phase of the Americas World Cup was not to be expected. This is because, in reality, not enough time has passed for circumstances to have changed so drastically, and prudence advises against a complete break with the recent past, instead seeking a gradual evolution that will certainly be felt in the medium term.

There's a recurring name, of course: Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal is a country that too easily confuses gratitude with performance, which shifts the overwhelming majority of opinions about the Madeiran player into the emotional realm.

Cristiano marked an era in Portuguese football and, for many, will be the greatest player in the history of the beautiful game. For everyone, he will always be one of the best, and that is my opinion. I believe that the gratitude for how he developed his career abroad should be directly proportional to the brilliance of his achievements, both individually and collectively.

However, gratitude does not justify that, at 41 years old, and playing in a peripheral league with little international standing, like the Saudi professional league, he should still be obligatorily called up, much less be a starter for the National Team.

Furthermore, the series of performances by Cristiano Ronaldo in recent months should be the first alarm signal regarding his recurring presence in the Portuguese starting eleven, and this is widely acknowledged by the foreign press. I'll be clearer: the Al Nassr player should, in a lucid and considered manner, have already concluded his extraordinary journey with the national crest on his chest.

That said, and even if Jesus is making it more or less clear that only those who demonstrate the necessary and sufficient performance will play for his national team, the squad announced yesterday conveys a sense of evolution within continuity – an expression that, as is well known, is not exactly a guarantee of success, especially since, historically, it harks back to the Estado Novo and its ideological immobility.

But there's something that stands out and is fundamental at this moment: the benefit of the doubt and, above all, the guarantee of expectation. Jesus is arriving, and with his technical staff, no one more than him will want to achieve maximum success in a role and position that, to his credit, has always been his great objective for the "golden phase" of his professional career. And this is the parameter by which everyone should now be guided. There are challenges ahead, objectives, adjustments, and results to be achieved. Therefore, work is needed. And nothing beats some peace to do it fully.