On December 16, Beijing time, the Portuguese Football Association announced that 68-year-old coach Fernando Santos left his post, ending his 8-year stint as a manager. In his 8-year coaching career, Santos led the team to the Euro 2016 title and the first UEFA Nations League title, and is the team's meritorious manager.
In this World Cup, Portugal won 2-1 in the group stage and lost to Morocco in the quarterfinals, stopping in the quarterfinals. In Qatar, Santos made a bold decision. Entering the knockout stage, he chose to let Cristiano Ronaldo come off the bench and promote young player Ramos to the starting line-up, which put Santos under a lot of pressure. After the World Cup, Santos decided to end his contract early and chose to leave the Portuguese national team.
After Santos' departure, Portuguese media outlet La Sco Records reported that Jose Mourinho was the number one candidate for the position of Portuguese national team manager. However, Jose Mourinho's contract with Roma expires in June 2024 and an agreement with the Roma club will need to be reached if Portugal want him to take over. It is reported that the Portuguese Football Association is willing to wait until the end of the season before making a decision.
In addition to Jose Mourinho, there are 3 candidates for the Portuguese manager. They are Portugal Under-21 coach Rui Jorge, former Wolves boss Bruno Lager and current Fenerbahce coach Jesús.