Portugal will host Denmark in a UEFA Nations League group stage match, followed by an away game against Wales on November 18. After Ronaldo announced his departure from the national team, Portugal coach Jorge Jesus named a new 28-man squad and held a press conference, where he discussed Ronaldo's departure, the new captain, and the player call-ups. This is the second part of the press conference.
Other parts of the press conference
Jorge Jesus: I didn't talk to Ronaldo during his suspension, I have to respect his decision
Jorge Jesus: Maybe I accelerated Ronaldo's departure, but I don't think he left because of me
Reporter (SIC): In his statement, Ronaldo said that you held a meeting where it was agreed what the coach would say at the press conference, and that we were present at the time. The statement also said that you did not honor that agreement. Is that true? Can you explain to us and to the Portuguese people what happened?
I just told one of your colleagues: as far as I'm concerned, this topic has been dealt with, and I won't talk about it again. If you want to talk about Ronaldo not being in the squad, you can.
Reporter (SIC): No, this is important. Because you said earlier, "my mind was a mess," and indeed some things were not communicated properly. So now is the opportunity to explain it to the Portuguese people.
As for Ronaldo, that moment has already been addressed.
So you don't want to explain it to the Portuguese people.
That moment has already been addressed. I also think it's time to start talking about the squad list and the newly selected players. I think that is important too.
Reporter (Antena 1): I won't talk much more about Ronaldo, but I want to ask about the Portuguese Football Federation. Jorge, I had a question prepared, but you've already answered it. I originally wanted to ask whether you were worried about being linked to Ronaldo's departure from the national team during your tenure, but let's skip that for now. President Pedro Proença has taken on the responsibility of leading the Portuguese Football Federation and protecting the interests of the national team. Do you think the president has acted competently in facing a crisis of this magnitude, or has he failed in his institutional leadership?
You asked me two questions, and the other one, as you said, I've already answered. Cris leaving the national team will always be linked to my time as national team coach. That is inevitable; it can only be this way.
As for the president's situation that you asked about, I am the national team coach, a coach, and I obviously will not comment on what the president could or should have done. That is not part of this discussion.
Reporter (A Bola): Given everything that happened in the handling of Ronaldo's situation, can you assure the Portuguese people that from now on, in similar incidents, there will be no external interference, and that no one unrelated to the federation will attend meetings or anything similar?
We're back to the same topic. I've already said that this topic has been dealt with, and I won't talk about it again. If you want to ask me why Ronaldo isn't here, or whether I intended to call him up: yes, I did intend to call him up. He isn't here because he made his own decision, and I must respect that decision.
What I've already discussed is no longer a topic. The topic now is these 28 players and the decision Ronaldo made. All of us must respect his decision. He is a symbol. We've already talked about it, I talked about it yesterday, and I won't repeat what I've already said.
Reporter (Renascença): More than twenty hours after what happened, I want to ask whether you feel under greater pressure to lead this team to success immediately, that is, to win the upcoming tournament?
Not because of this. Coaches are always under pressure because of match results. The fact is that after these four matches, Portugal has already secured qualification for the quarter-finals. So far, only two teams have achieved this: Portugal and Spain.
When you coach a national team with such excellent players and you feel capable of winning the championship, that pressure will always be there.
Reporter (Rádio Observador): I want to talk about the Portugal captaincy. With Ronaldo leaving, the position is vacant. Several players could be captain, such as Rúben Dias, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernardo Silva. What do you expect from the new captain? Do you already know who it will be?
That's not how it works. In the national team, the coach does not choose the captain. The captain is determined by the number of national team appearances. Currently, there are five players with the most appearances, and coincidentally, all five have played for clubs I have managed.
This principle will remain unchanged. After Cris, the player with the most national team appearances is Bernardo Silva. Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias, João Cancelo, Neves...
Bruno Fernandes is ahead.
And Bruno Fernandes. I'm not talking about the order, but those are the five.
I'd like to follow up on this and ask about Bernardo Silva and your past relationship with him. You worked together at Benfica, and at the time Bernardo publicly criticized you several times for not letting him play in the position he wanted, among other things. Of course, there's no need to revisit that now. But I don't know if "ironic" is the right word: after so many years, more than ten years later, after everything you've both been through, Jorge comes to the national team and your captain will be Bernardo Silva. What can Bernardo bring to the national team in this new phase, in this role?
He can bring his experience and his ability as a player. He is in good form at Real Madrid now. It isn't easy to be a starter at Real Madrid; he is a player who starts for one of the best teams in the world.
I have no doubt about his ability. Of course, Portugal has other excellent players besides Bernardo, and they also play for top teams in Europe, or rather, in the world.
Reporter (Mais Futebol): Do you feel your authority within the team has been strengthened after this incident? Also, what do you expect from the two strikers, Fábio Silva and Gustavo Varela, in this first call-up without Ronaldo?
No, I don't think so. The first time we worked together, the team showed not only technical and tactical ability, but also a strong connection between the players.
As I said, as a newly appointed national team coach, I have an advantage: many of the players have worked with me before. The players believe in our way of working and in our philosophy, and they keep winning. That is the advantage.
As for these two strikers, Varela and Fábio: Fábio has been improving at his club and played very well in the last game, scoring a goal and providing an assist. Some of his characteristics also fit well with my idea of a striker.
Varela is still young. I don't know the current situation after this round of matches, but he is the top scorer in Serie A, and to be the top scorer in Serie A you must have ability. So it is on these grounds that we trust Varela's football ability. Besides, he is only 21 years old.
Reporter (O Jogo): What made you decide to call up Alberto Costa?
The reason is the same as for the other players. I watched several of Porto's matches. He is a right-back, and over the years, especially this season, he has improved steadily from match to match. He is physically very strong and has excellent technical ability. In addition, some of his positional characteristics are similar to what I require from players in that position. I am sure he will be a player with a future. Through this young player, the Portugal national team will gain another excellent option.