Cristiano Ronaldo's dramatic departure from the Portugal camp has produced another striking image of a turbulent week for the national team. Less than 24 hours after the captain confirmed that he had left the squad and promised to reveal “the truth” about his decision, Portugal have already handed his iconic No.7 shirt to another player for the Nations League match against Denmark.
The number will be worn by Rafael Leão, who has normally used No.17 for Portugal. The AC Milan forward has been reassigned Ronaldo's famous shirt following the 41-year-old's departure from the camp, while Fábio Silva will take Leão's usual No.17. The change appears in Portugal's squad numbering for the Denmark game and should not be interpreted as confirmation that Ronaldo has permanently lost the number.
Rafael Leão will wear Cristiano Ronaldo's No.7
Seeing another Portugal player wearing No.7 is unusual enough to attract attention on its own. Ronaldo has made the number virtually inseparable from his identity during more than two decades with the national team, to the point that “CR7” became a global brand extending far beyond football.
Leão is therefore stepping into one of international football's most recognisable shirts at an extraordinary moment. Portugal are preparing to face Denmark without their captain after several days of tension involving Ronaldo and head coach Jorge Jesus, while nobody outside the immediate circle around the team yet knows whether Ronaldo will return for the next international window.
There is an important distinction, however. Portugal giving Leão the No.7 shirt for this match does not mean he has permanently inherited Ronaldo's number. International squad numbers can change between matches and windows, and Ronaldo is no longer part of the current squad after choosing to leave the camp.
The decision is nevertheless difficult to ignore because of its timing. Had Ronaldo simply been rested or unavailable through injury, another player wearing No.7 would have been little more than an administrative necessity. Instead, it comes immediately after one of the most unusual weeks of his 23-year Portugal career.
Why did Ronaldo leave the Portugal camp?
The situation began when Ronaldo spent the entire 2-1 victory over Norway on the bench, the first competitive Portugal match since Euro 2008 in which a fit Ronaldo had been an unused substitute. Jesus later acknowledged that his captain was unhappy after warming up for around 20 to 30 minutes without eventually being introduced, although the coach insisted their disagreement had subsequently been resolved.
Ronaldo then missed Portugal's group training sessions before leaving Parken on Wednesday while his team-mates were preparing for Denmark. Only hours earlier, Jesus had publicly insisted there was no serious problem with his captain and revealed that Ronaldo's absence against Denmark had already been agreed as part of a plan to manage his workload.
Later that evening, Ronaldo confirmed that he had decided to leave the national-team camp following Jesus' press conference and a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença. More intriguingly, he promised that “in due course” he would tell Portuguese supporters the truth about the reasons behind his departure.
Ronaldo did not announce his retirement from international football, and there has been no official confirmation that his Portugal career is over. For now, he has left this particular camp, making Leão's use of No.7 a consequence of his absence rather than evidence that Portugal have already moved on from their record goalscorer.
What happens to Portugal's No.7 now?
That question will become considerably more interesting when Portugal name their squad for the next international window. If Ronaldo returns, there is currently no reason to assume he would not also reclaim the number that he has worn for the overwhelming majority of his international career.
For one night against Denmark, however, the image will be impossible to miss. Portugal will walk onto the pitch without Cristiano Ronaldo, and for the first time in this increasingly dramatic week, somebody else will be wearing the number that has defined him for more than two decades.
The identity of that player is significant too. Leão is not an academy youngster filling an empty squad number but one of Portugal's highest-profile attacking players, and the sight of him wearing No.7 will inevitably generate discussion about a post-Ronaldo era even if the national team has not actually reached it yet.
Until Ronaldo explains the “truth” he promised to reveal, nobody knows how close Portugal really are to that moment. For now, the No.7 belongs to Rafael Leão against Denmark — and what happens to it after that will depend on what happens next between Ronaldo, Jesus and the Portuguese federation.
Published by Patrick Jane
01.10.2026