Portugal is looking for a new national coach after eight years. The Fernando Santos era came to an end on Thursday. Despite a contract that runs until 2024, the Portuguese Federation (FPF) will not continue with the 68-year-old trainer.
That decision follows a meeting between Santos and federation president Fernando Gomes. It was already expected that the experienced coach would have to make way after the elimination at the World Cup in the quarterfinals, in which Morocco was surprisingly too strong .
Santos has been Portugal’s national coach since 2014 and led the country to its first major prize in 2016 by winning the European Championship. In 2019, the Selecão also won the first edition of the Nations League under his leadership by beating the Orange in the final.
Despite the successes of recent years, the call for a new national coach grew. After the disappointing World Cup in Qatar. Santos would let Portugal play too defensively, his decision to put Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench also caused a stir.
The name of José Mourinho is now singing around as a successor. According to A Bola, The Special One is the favorite, but Mourinho is still with AS Roma until mid-2024. Italian media have already spoken of a possible dual role for Mourinho, who would then combine both functions. However, this has not been a thing in the recent past in this huge of a capacity.
Successor – Rui Jorge?
Another option, according to the Portuguese sports newspaper, is that former international Rui Jorge (49) will take over Santos’ duties for the time being, so that Mourinho can finish the season with Roma. The former left back has been national coach of Portugal’s youth squad for years.
Another distant yet huge speculation that has been circulating is that Cristiano Ronaldo would jump into management straight after his retirement. And this would prevent Jose from taking the role with the Portuguese national team.
