Jesus: I treat all players equally, Ronaldo's selection depends on current form

Portugal national team coach Jorge Jesus announced his first squad list since taking office and held a press conference. This is the second part of the press conference.

João Palhinha has been called up this time. I recall, for example, when João Mário played for Portugal at Estádio José Alvalade, he was heavily booed. If Palhinha plays at Alvalade, what would you say to the Portuguese fans there? Are you concerned he might also be booed like João Mário? Additionally, there were reports that you once tried to persuade Rafa Silva to return to the national team. Can you confirm this?

I am calling up players for the Portuguese national team. I don't care if they play for Benfica, Sporting CP, or any other club. What truly determines my selection is the players' current form and their abilities. Which club they belong to is not important to me.

But I'm asking about the fans' potential reaction—that's the real issue here.

I can't answer that question. All I can tell you is that they are here to represent the Portuguese national team. For me, that's what matters.

What about the question regarding Rafa Silva?

These 25 players are the ones I decided to call up after careful consideration. Apart from those who participated in the last World Cup but are not on this list, I have not spoken to any other player individually. Therefore, I have had no conversations with Rafa.

First of all, good luck. We haven't met before, so I wish you all the best in your work. I'd like to ask about Ronaldo. In your vision, what role do you want the Portuguese national team captain to play? How do you view him? Especially for those of us who followed this World Cup closely, we know that whenever things go wrong, responsibility often falls on Cristiano Ronaldo. How do you plan to prevent this from happening again?

What truly matters is his performance. Does his past not count? Of course his past exists, and all the achievements he has made throughout his career are certainly there. But what truly determines my choices in games and training is his current performance.

This applies to him, and it applies to all other players as well. There are 13 players on this list who have worked with me before. No one has asked me about this yet, but I can tell you proactively.

This helps me. We are about to start playing, and we have not yet established our foundation. From this perspective, these players who have worked with me in the past are very important for my decisions and this selection.

Back to the Ronaldo question. Ronaldo is like all other players. If he performs, he plays; if he doesn't perform, he doesn't play. I do this for all players, and it's no different just because he is Ronaldo.

Of course, is Ronaldo's status different from others? Yes.

Is his career different from others? Also yes.

He has won five Ballons d'Or. But will these things affect my decisions? Absolutely not.

However, to say that he is different from other players—that is certainly true.

When can we truly see this Portuguese team play with your characteristics? Will we see a Portuguese team that reflects Jorge Jesus's philosophy in terms of playing style by the last match of this international window? Additionally, I saw you watch many domestic Portuguese league matches and visit many stadiums to scout players. What is your current assessment of Portuguese football?

To answer the first question, I now have a very clear understanding and am very confident about this: I must accelerate the entire process so that players can understand and adapt to what I want them to do more quickly.

Accelerating this process involves many aspects, not just on-field training. Let me add another personal note, which I will continue to do in the future.

I have "on-field training" and "off-field training." I will not give players traditional long speeches. For me, it's off-field work and on-field training. To accelerate the entire process, it must be done simultaneously from many angles.

Additionally, I firmly believe in the players' intelligence and ability. Various situations always arise in games, and players must also rely on themselves to solve some of these problems. This is about the philosophy of the game.

As for your second question about why I watch players live, I think it's important to observe players in person. My most recent live viewing was in Madrid, where I watched Bernardo Silva. Of course, we now have many ways to observe players, and it's not absolutely necessary to be present. I can't personally watch all the games, so our coaching staff has divided the work, with different staff members going to different places to watch specific matches. Our current ideas and selections are based on what we have observed and how these players can adjust according to my philosophy.

I looked at this list, and it feels very similar to the World Cup squad, with only four new faces. One word seems to capture this list: "continuity." Rui Mário is now performing outstandingly at Roma, and Flávio Gonçalves has also performed very well at Sporting CP at the beginning of the season. Additionally, there are Matheus Fernandes and Nunes, all very young and talented players. Many national team coaches are now pushing for squad renewal, but it seems you prefer to retain a squad very similar to the past. How do you explain this?

No, I don't think this is a squad so similar to the past. Of course, as we just discussed, there are indeed only four new faces compared to the last squad, and the vast majority of players are still the same ones. But this has nothing to do with the coach's game philosophy. The previous coach had his ideas, and I have a completely different set of ideas. This is separate from how we view each player's individual characteristics.

As for the players you just mentioned, they have also been under our observation. I have communicated with the U21 national team coach Luís Freire many times. At this stage, I think the younger players you mentioned have not yet had their opportunity.

I am focused on the present and also on the future. So I ultimately made this decision.

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