An indirect warning to Ronaldo: does Jesus dare to do what everyone else has avoided?

Fox Sports reported Vieira's comments to Antena 1 radio about Jesus: "I know him very deeply. He is a top-class professional. I am not the only one who says this; indeed, all the players who have worked with him confirm it."

"I think he is the right choice," he added. "It is very important that the Portugal national team is once again led by a Portuguese coach. The last Portuguese coach was Fernando Santos, and now we have Jorge, and I believe he has all the capabilities to do a job that makes us all happy."

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One of the most pressing issues facing the new coach is how to handle the final years of Cristiano Ronaldo's career. His place in the starting line-up has become a growing subject of debate.

Vieira believes the record holder for international appearances, if he wants to continue with the national team, must accept that he will not start every match.

Ronaldo worked with Jesus in the Roshn League last season, and Vieira had this to say on managing the Al-Nassr star's situation: "I think he knows how to manage this situation, and he will know how to deal with Ronaldo."

He added: "Jesus has a wonderful relationship with Ronaldo, of course. And Ronaldo also knows that the end is now on the horizon. He will have to decide, and sometimes he may play, and at other times he may not, and so on."

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His role may be shrinking, but Ronaldo's impact with the Portugal national team remains unprecedented in the history of the game.

Whether you look at his international goals or his caps for his country, the numbers set a benchmark no European player may ever surpass.

Reports have spoken of a date being set for his international retirement. Yet Jorge Jesus appears keen to manage the transition in a manner befitting one of the greatest icons of Portuguese football.

Jesus recently addressed speculation about sweeping changes to the squad, stressing that he would keep a degree of continuity, saying: "People may think that the new coach will come and change a large number of players. This will not happen. I am not stupid. In addition, I do not have enough time to introduce a large number of players who were not called up this time (for the World Cup)."

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Vieira backs the appointment of Jesus for the tactical discipline the coach brings, and for a philosophy built on the principle of "match by match", an approach that has delivered him great success across his career at numerous clubs.

Vieira broke down that thinking. "We have to win matches, one after another. In fact, this is his policy: to win the next match, because the next match is the most important, then the one after it is the most important, and in this way you reach your goal. As for expectations, we all have expectations of winning, but we must also agree that others are good at playing football too."

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