Jesus confirms Ronaldo will start against Wales
Jorge Jesus confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will start his first game in charge of Portugal, against Wales in the opening match of its Nations League campaign.
Portugal welcomes Wales to the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Friday in what will be its first match since exiting the World Cup against Spain in the last 16.
Roberto Martinez's three-year reign was brought to an end, with Jesus appointed as his successor on a four-year contract, taking him through to the World Cup in 2030.
The 72 year-old is someone Ronaldo knows well, with the pair linking up at Al-Nassr, where they became Saudi Pro League champions for the first time since Ronaldo arrived.
Ronaldo scored 29 goals in 33 appearances under Jesus for Al Nassr in the 2025-2026 campaign, averaging a goal every 99 minutes.
Throughout his career, the only managers under whom Ronaldo has a better goals-per-game average in league play are Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, and Luis Castro and Rudi Garcia at Al-Nassr.
After his unveiling, Jesus insisted Ronaldo "would never be a problem" for Portugal, and he revealed he intends to start the five-time Ballon d'Or winner against Wales.
"We have been in many situations of major competitions, such as the Champions League and the World Cup," Jesus said.
"I have never seen an audience with so many people. It's also good, football needs more and more agents to be shared with the national team and players.
"Today will be my first training on the field, because yesterday was a recovery session. And if nothing special happens, Cris will play tomorrow from the start."
This will be the first meeting between Portugal and Wales since the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championship, with the Selecao winning 2-0 en route to the trophy.
Portugal is also the reigning Nations League holder, beating Spain on penalties in 2024-2025. It has won 11 of 14 home matches in the competition, losing only to France and Spain.
After its defeat to Spain at the World Cup, Portugal will be looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since September and October 2014, when it was beaten by Albania then France.
It will fancy its chances against a Wales side that remain winless in its last four matches, its worst run under manager Craig Bellamy. Not since 2012 have they had a longer winless start to a calendar year.
Jesus was asked about the relative importance of the Nations League, or whether his full attention was on the 2028 European Championships and the 2030 World Cup.
"I'm in a team that has the best players in the world. All goals are to win," Jesus said. "And therefore, the first competition is the Nations League, and we are the holders of the title and, of course, we have to defend it."
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Portugal
