Silva Named Portugal’s New Captain After Ronaldo Retirement

Bernardo Silva has been named as Portugal’s new captain after Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement.

The Real Madrid star, 32, has taken over the armband after Ronaldo ended his 23-year spell with the national team.

Portugal boss Jorge Jesus revealed Ronaldo’s successor would be the player with the highest amount of caps in his squad.

And that player happened to be ex-Manchester City midfielder Silva.

He will form a leadership group alongside Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves and Manchester United skipper Fernandes – who will have been hoping to become the new captain.

Jesus explained: “In the national team, captains are selected based on the number of international appearances each player has made.

“There are currently five players at the top of that ranking, and interestingly, all five have previously played under my management at the clubs I have worked with.

“That principle will remain unchanged. The player with the most international appearances after Cristiano is Bernardo Silva, followed by Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves and Bruno Fernandes. Those are the five players.”

Ronaldo retired on 234 caps and banged in 146 goals but decided to call it a day after his fallout with Jesus in September.

Also Read: I Knew Nothing About Ronaldo’s Retirement — Portugal Coach Jesus

The legendary forward was seething after Jesus dropped him for their win against Norway and stormed out of the team’s camp.

He then demanded showdown talks with the Portuguese FA before being slapped with a laughable fine of just £215.

And Ronaldo has now called time on his Portugal career, more than two decades after making his bow in 2004.

In an emotional statement, Ronaldo said: “The day has come back for me to hand back the number 7 shirt of our national team.

“I never felt it belonged to me alone. But for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world.

“Today, the time has come to pass it on to the future. It was not an easy decision. Because some decisions are not made with the mind alone. They are also made with the heart.

“A journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever has come to an end.

“When I look back at everything with the national team, I don’t just see the matches, goals, records or trophies.

“I see people. I see the Portuguese people living abroad who, for 90 minutes, felt a little closer to home.

“I see millions of Portuguese people I have never met but who became part of my life.“