The Portugal national team has selected Rafael Leão to wear the number 7 shirt, following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the team camp in recent days.
Rafael Leão
Club: Galatasaray
The captain of the Portuguese national team missed the team's training session for the third consecutive day, despite head coach Jorge Jesus confirming just minutes before his departure that the player would participate in training.
Portugal's updated squad list ahead of tonight's match against Denmark in Copenhagen featured Leão wearing the number 7 shirt, a move reflecting the start of a new era for the national team after the end of an epoch.
The Galatasaray striker will carry the iconic shirt after Ronaldo, who wore it for many years with the Portuguese national team and became synonymous with it.
The UEFA website published the players' names and numbers for the match between the Danish and Portuguese national teams.
Ronaldo, aged 41, announced via his social media accounts his departure from the Portuguese national team camp, stating that he would reveal the reasons behind this decision at a later time.
Ronaldo said: "In due course, I will tell everyone the truth about the reasons that led me to leave the national team."
The Portuguese national team currently tops Group 4 in the UEFA Nations League, having won their first two matches against Wales and Norway.
The match against Denmark in Copenhagen serves as Portugal's first test with the new number 7 shirt, amid the beginning of a different phase for the national team following Ronaldo's departure.
As controversy surrounding Ronaldo's absence grew, Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, decided to change his plans and join the senior national team camp, having given up attending the Portugal U21 match, and returned to Denmark to hold an urgent meeting with Jesus and Ronaldo.
The meeting took place on Wednesday morning at the hotel where the Portuguese national team is staying in Malmö, and was described as having occurred in calm and friendly atmospheres.
However, Ronaldo's absence from Wednesday's training opened a new chapter in the crisis, especially as it came just minutes after Jesus confirmed the player's participation in training.
So far, no official explanation has been issued by the Portuguese national team regarding the reason for Ronaldo's absence from Wednesday's training.
João Félix was the most notable addition to the Portuguese national team's training session on the eve of the Denmark match, while Francisco Conceição's absence from the game was confirmed by Jesus.
The Portuguese national team is preparing to face Denmark in the third round of the UEFA Nations League.
