Portugal Officially Appoints Coach Who Brought Cristiano Ronaldo's Last Title

Portugal has officially announced the appointment of the experienced Jorge Jesus as the new head coach of the national team. The 71-year-old specialist takes over from Roberto Martínez after the "Navigators" only reached the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, where they were eliminated by Spain.

Jesus, a native of Amadora, a suburb of Lisbon, has signed a contract that will keep him at the helm of the Portuguese squad until 2030. This means that, if all goes according to plan, he will lead the team at the home World Cup in 2030, which Portugal will co-host with Spain, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.

One of the most successful Portuguese coaches in recent decades, Jesus achieved his greatest successes with Benfica, leading the "Eagles" to three league titles. More recently, he triumphed in the Saudi Arabian league with Al-Nassr, the club of superstar and national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

The new national coach shared his first words as Portugal's manager on Instagram. "I am proud to be Portuguese and it is an honor for me to take on the role of national coach. One voice, one heart. Portugal!" the experienced tactician wrote in a post on his official social media profile.

Jesus has won 24 official trophies across four different countries. The specialist has managed teams such as Benfica, Sporting CP, Al-Hilal, Flamengo, Fenerbahçe, and Al-Nassr. Portugal will be the first national team in his rich coaching career.

Jesus' debut will be on September 24th at the Estádio José Alvalade – an arena where he has played hundreds of times as an opponent and as coach of Sporting CP. The first match is at home against Wales and will mark the beginning of Portugal's participation in the Nations League.