Portugal's national team has announced its new captain following Ronaldo's farewell.
Portugal confirmed that Bernardo Silva is the new team captain after Ronaldo's departure from the national team.
Bernardo Silva, midfielder for the "Los Blancos" Real Madrid, has officially been appointed as Portugal's new national team captain after Cristiano Ronaldo, the star striker of the Portuguese squad, announced his international retirement.
Bernardo, 32, is the player with the most appearances for Portugal following Ronaldo's exit, having played 115 matches. He is followed by Bruno Fernandes (97 matches), Rúben Dias (84 matches), João Cancelo (77 matches), and Rúben Neves (73 matches).
Portugal's coach Jorge Jesus stated, "In the national team, the captain is chosen based on the number of international appearances. The principle remains the same: the player with the most international caps after Cristiano Ronaldo is Bernardo Silva."
Bernardo is included in the squad set to face Denmark and Wales in the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches during the next international break, where he will serve as Portugal's captain on the field.
Bernardo transferred from Manchester City to Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer after his contract with the Citizens ended.
Initially, he had limited playing time, but Bernardo has increasingly gained influence and a role in Real Madrid under coach José Mourinho. To date, he has appeared in 12 matches across all competitions for Real Madrid, scoring one goal and providing one assist.
