Rafael Leão, the Portugal national team player, described wearing the number 7 shirt as a special moment.
Leão wore the number 7 shirt in Portugal's 4-2 victory over Denmark in the UEFA Nations League following Ronaldo's departure from the national team camp.
Leão told the Portuguese newspaper "A Bola": "Do I feel that Ronaldo betrayed Portugal? This is a topic I do not wish to discuss. We once again proved that we are a united group. And I am confident that he is happy with this win."
He added, "I know him as a teammate and I know his personality. The most important thing is the team; we earned another 3 points and topped the group, and now it is time to rest and prepare for next Monday's match."
He continued, "Wearing the number 7 shirt? It is a special moment for me because Cristiano has been my role model since childhood."
He concluded, "The number 7 holds a special meaning for me, as it is linked to my children's birth dates. I simply tried to wear the shirt and enjoy it with my teammates. I think the most important thing in the end is winning the match."
Portugal's four goals were scored by João Cancelo, Gonçalo Ramos, Vitinha, and João Félix, while Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Højlund scored Denmark's two goals.
The Portugal national team raised its tally to 9 points at the top of the group with a perfect record of three wins.
The Portugal national team scored 4 goals away from home in an official match without Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time since September 6, 2008, when they also scored 4 goals against Malta.
Vitinha scored his first goal for the Portugal national team during his 46th international appearance.
Ramos scored 12 of his 13 goals for the Portugal national team in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch, and reached his 100th career goal across national teams and clubs.
