Bernardo Silva has been appointed as the captain of the Portugal national squad following the retirement of Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal announced their squad for the upcoming set of international fixtures,
and the fans were eager to see the new captain. The Real Madrid midfielder has been chosen based on his experience with the national side.
Bernardo would be a fine choice for captaincy as he has the tactical brilliance and composure to lead the squad. However, the fans would be disheartened to see the name of Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the list after a long period of time.
“In the national team, captains are chosen based on their international appearances. Currently, there are five players with the most international caps. Interestingly, all of them were my players at the clubs I managed. The logic will remain the same. The player with the most international caps after Cristiano Ronaldo is Bernardo Silva.”
“Then there’s Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves, and Bruno Fernandes. Not in any particular order, but these are the five who will be captains,” stated Jorge Jesus on appointing Bernardo Silva as the new captain of the side.
©️🇵🇹 Bernardo Silva will be the new captain of the Portuguese national team after Cristiano Ronaldo. https://t.co/skHh7yNVWh
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 7, 2026
Bernardo Silva set to begin captaincy career against Denmark
The Portugal national squad would be left with a massive void in the absence of their talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo. The veteran concluded a legendary 23-year career with Portugal, and he scored 146 goals from his 234 international appearances. He is also the most prolific scorer in men’s international football history.
Ronaldo led the side to their first-ever major trophy in 2016, with their triumph in the Euros, and Portugal has won two UEFA Nations League titles as well. With the retirement of Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva would have a huge responsibility to fulfil, and he would be looking to ensure that the captaincy burden doesn’t weigh too heavily on him.
Bernardo Silva would bring a wealth of experience to the squad with 115 international caps to his name. Jorge Jesus praised Silva’s composure and leadership qualities with top European clubs such as Manchester City and Real Madrid. Along with the change in captaincy, Portugal has called up young talents to the squad, and they could be given a chance in any of the fixtures.
The transition period has officially begun for the Portugal squad, and now they would be keen on finding the right combinations to establish themselves amongst the top teams in international football.
The post-Ronaldo era begins immediately as Portugal prepares for crucial UEFA Nations League fixtures against Denmark on November 14 and Wales on November 17. Jorge Jesus and his men would be looking to draw positive results from the game, as there would be plenty of expectations lined up. Bernardo Silva would be hopeful of starting his captaincy career with a win against Denmark on November 14th.
