Jesus: I Treat All Players the Same; Ronaldo's Playing Time Depends on Current Performance

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

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

I call up players for the Portugal national team. I don't care whether they play for Benfica, Sporting CP, or another club. What truly determines whether they're selected for my squad is their current performance and their own ability. Which club they come from doesn't matter to me.

But I'm asking about the potential fan reaction—that's the issue.

No, I can't answer that question. What I can tell you is that they're here to represent the Portugal 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 haven't spoken individually with other players. So I haven't spoken with Rafa.

First, let me wish you well. We haven't met here before, so I also wish you the best for your work ahead. I'd like to ask about Ronaldo. In your view, what role do you want from the captain of the Portugal national team? How do you see him? Especially for those of us who experienced this World Cup up close—we know that whenever there's an issue, responsibility often falls on Cristiano Ronaldo. How do you plan to prevent that from happening again?

What matters most is his current performance. Doesn't his past count? Of course his past counts, and all the achievements he's accumulated throughout his career certainly count. But what truly determines my choices in matches and training going forward is his current performance.

This applies to him, and to all other players as well. And 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 will help me. Because we'll be starting to play very soon, and we haven't yet built our foundation. So from that perspective, these players who have worked with me in the past are very important to my decision-making and this selection.

Back to the Ronaldo question. Ronaldo is like any other player. If he performs well, he plays; if he doesn't perform well, he doesn't play. I do this for all players, and there's no difference because he's Ronaldo.

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

Is his career different from the others? Yes, it is.

He has won five Ballon d'Or awards. But do these things influence my decision? Not at all.

However, if you ask whether he's different from other players, of course he is different.

I'd like to ask: when will we truly see Portugal play with your characteristics? Will we see a Portugal team that aligns more closely with Jorge Jesus's philosophy in terms of playing style during this final international break match? Also, I've noticed you've watched many domestic Portuguese matches in person and visited many different stadiums to observe various players. What is your current assessment of Portuguese football?

First, to answer your first question. I now have a very clear understanding, and I'm very confident about what I'm saying—that I need to accelerate the entire process. I need to speed things up so that players can understand and adapt to what I want from them more quickly.

And accelerating this process involves many aspects, not just training on the pitch. Let me say something else from my perspective, and I'll continue doing this in the future.

I have "training on the pitch" and "training indoors." I won't give lengthy speeches to players in the traditional sense. For me, it's indoor training and pitch training. So, to accelerate the entire process, it needs to be done from many aspects simultaneously.

Additionally, I also have great faith in the wisdom and ability of the players. Because various situations will always arise in matches, and players must rely on themselves to solve some of these problems. This is about game understanding.

Regarding your second question about why I go watch certain players in person, I think it's important to observe players live. The last time I watched a match in person was in Madrid, and I went to see Bernardo Silva. Of course, nowadays we have many ways to observe players, and it's not necessary to be present in person to watch them.

And it's impossible for me to watch every match in person. So our coaching staff divides the work, and different staff members go to different places to watch specific matches. Therefore, our current ideas and selections are based on what we've seen, and then we consider how these players can adapt according to my philosophy.

Looking at this list, I get the feeling it's very similar to the World Cup squad, with only four new faces. So it feels like one word can be extracted from this list: "continuity." Rodrygo is now performing brilliantly at Roma, and Flávio is also playing very well at Sporting CP at the start of the season. Additionally, there's Matheus Fernandes, Nunes—these are all very young and talented players. Many national team coaches now are pushing for squad renewal, but it seems you don't want to do this renewal but rather continue with 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 this time compared to the previous list. But most of the players are still the same, and this has nothing to do with the coaching philosophy.

The previous coach had his ideas, and I have completely different ideas. This is different from how we view the individual characteristics of each player.

Regarding the young players you just mentioned, they have also been under our observation. And I have communicated with U21 national team coach Luís Freire many times. So at this stage, I believe the young players you just mentioned haven't gotten their opportunity yet.

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

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