Cristiano Ronaldo's number 7 shirt has been vacated in the Portugal national team, during the ongoing match against Denmark as part of the UEFA Nations League competitions.
The Portugal national team faces its host, Denmark, this evening, Thursday, at Parken Stadium, in the third round of the group stage of the UEFA Nations League tournament.
Rafael Leão, the Portugal winger, who started in today's team lineup, appeared wearing the number 7 shirt, which Cristiano Ronaldo had worn for 19 years.
The reason behind the change
The Portugal national team listed Leão with the number 7 in the official squad roster approved by UEFA for this match, making the Galatasaray star the most talked-about figure at the start of the encounter.
This is due to competition regulations; in UEFA Nations League matches, UEFA requires national teams to use shirt numbers from 1 to 23. Since Cristiano was not present in the camp, the number 7 became available for Rafael Leão.
Jesus crisis
Ronaldo first wore the number 7 shirt for the Portugal national team in 2007, following the retirement of legend Luís Figo. The Al-Nassr star retained that number for 19 years, although it was briefly interrupted when he obtained the shirt while at Roma in 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo had entered into a severe dispute with Jorge Jesus, the manager of the Portugal national team, following his non-participation in the previous match against Norway in the UEFA Nations League.
Subsequently, Jorge Jesus made strong statements in the press conference ahead of the Denmark match, which resulted in Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the team camp in Copenhagen.
