Bernardo Silva will captain Portugal in the post Ronaldo era, stepping up to take the armband from Cristiano Ronaldo, who held it for most of a 23 year international career that ended this week. The Manchester City midfielder, now with Real Madrid, was named as the new captain when coach Jorge Jesus announced his first squad since Ronaldo retirement on Friday, and the choice was made on the simplest and most traditional basis: the number of international appearances. In a team searching for a new identity, the armband has gone to the player who has earned it longest.
Why it matters
Jesus also named five captains for the national team in the wake of Ronaldo retirement, confirming that the pecking order comes down to international appearances. The decision removes any doubt about the leadership structure, and it does so at a moment when the squad needs clarity most. A team that has lost its captain, its record goalscorer and its most capped player in a single week cannot afford a debate about who leads it, and Jesus has settled the question before the first training session, not after it.
The choice of Bernardo Silva is a statement about the kind of team Portugal wants to be. He is a creator rather than a finisher, a player whose value is in the pass before the goal rather than in the goal itself, and his appointment signals a shift from a team built around one man to a team built around a system. Vitinha and Joao Felix headline the selection alongside him, and the squad features seven changes, with debuts for Alberto Costa and Gustavo Varela. The midfield, with Ruben Neves, Joao Palhinha, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, is the strongest part of the team, and it will now carry the side.
What happens next
The emotional weight of the change is hard to overstate. Ronaldo farewell message, in which he said the day had come to hand back the number seven shirt, was addressed to the Portuguese people, and the response from fans, from former team mates, and from the federation has been one of gratitude mixed with sadness. Goncalo Ramos, the 25 year old Milan striker who spent much of his Portugal career as Ronaldo understudy, reshared the announcement with a short farewell message, and he is among the players most likely to benefit from the vacancy. The shirt will be worn by someone else, and the crowd will need time to accept it.
What happens next is Denmark on November 14 in Braga, and then Wales on November 17 in Cardiff, the first fixtures of the post Ronaldo era. Portugal have already secured top spot in their Nations League group and a quarter final place, so the results matter less than the performance, and the performance will be judged on whether the team can play without its focal point. Bernardo Silva has the armband, the midfield has the talent, and the young players have their chance. The question now is whether a team built around one man for 23 years can learn, in a single international break, to be a team at all.
