Bernardo Silva says Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement from international football is a “sad moment”, but is ready to lead Portugal as their new captain.
Ronaldo announced his decision to step away from Portugal duty last week after a dispute with Jorge Jesus during the previous international break. He left the squad after playing only one match.
Silva has now been given the captaincy ahead of Portugal’s first game since Ronaldo’s departure, against Denmark in the Nations League on Saturday. A tribute to Ronaldo will take place at the Estadio Municipal de Braga in recognition of his record-breaking international career.
Portugal have won all four of their matches in the competition and have already secured a place in the quarter-finals. They can guarantee top spot in Group A4 by avoiding defeat against Denmark.
The Portuguese side won the reverse fixture 4-2 in October, with Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha and Joao Felix scoring.
Silva, who played alongside Ronaldo for 12 years with Portugal, said the responsibility of maintaining the team’s standards belonged to all the senior members of the squad.
“I think it’s a natural process. I had the pleasure of playing with Cristiano here in the national team for 12 years,” Silva said. “He was always our captain.
“It’s the older and more experienced players who have the responsibility of helping the younger ones maintain commitment and work ethic in the locker room.
“I was able to represent the national team for many years; I know what it takes to win and be successful, and I will, with great pride, try to perform that role in the best way possible.
“As for my attitude, it will be the same as always, but now with more experience. I’ve had the pleasure of being captain before, and I know that this job is not the responsibility of just one person, but of all the more experienced players.
“We have to try to maintain competitiveness, always with respect. This balance between competing and respecting each other is not easy, but this group is fantastic. We are a family here, and I am sure things will go well.
“Of course, it’s a sad moment. I only know the national team with Cristiano. This day was bound to come. It was an honour and a pride to have shared the locker room with him, and now it’s about continuing this path of success with the national team.”
With qualification secured, Jorge Jesus has selected a less experienced squad for this international break, including six uncapped players. However, he said selection decisions would be based on performance rather than a desire to hand out debuts.
“Look, when choosing players, I don’t consider that detail,” Jesus said.
“I look for the player most capable of performing the role I want, based on their position. It’s not difficult to see that, compared to the last few games, we have one full-back suspended and another injured [Joao Cancelo and Nuno Mendes].
“Two players will necessarily have to come in. It’s possible that one of them hasn’t played yet. But I’ll only say an hour before the game, after speaking with the players.”
