Farewell befitting a legend: Portugal surprise Ronaldo with a special tribute
Portugal are preparing to open a new chapter with the number 7 shirt, long associated with Cristiano Ronaldo, after it was decided to hand it to Carlos Forbs, the Club Brugge winger, during the match against Denmark on Saturday evening, in the fifth round of the UEFA Nations League.
The Portuguese Football Federation announced on Saturday, according to the Portuguese newspaper "Record", that the number 7 shirt would carry a new graphic design from the match onwards. The move aims to immortalise the legacy Ronaldo left with the national team, after the number became part of his footballing identity across an international career spanning more than two decades.
In its statement, the federation explained that the shirt will take on a different design while keeping the previous version to document Ronaldo's career with the national team. The number, it noted, will remain tied to the memories, achievements and emotions the Portuguese star created in his country's shirt.
The statement read: "This is another way to immortalise the meaning of a very special number and to honour the legacy it represents. There are stories, memories, achievements and emotions that will remain forever linked to Cristiano Ronaldo."
According to the federation, the new design carries the same essence and pride despite its different form, while the old version stands as a witness to a career it called a story that will never be forgotten.
Carlos Forbs carries the number temporarily
On the technical side, Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus handed the number 7 shirt to Carlos Forbs for the match against Denmark. That makes him the first to wear it since Ronaldo's international career ended.
But the number is only his for now. Expectations point to Rafael Leao, the Milan winger, as the leading candidate to succeed Ronaldo in it over the coming period, according to the Portuguese newspaper "A Bola".
Forbs got the nod this time because injury ruled Leao out of Portugal's current two matches, denying him a place in the squad and the chance to wear the number linked to one of the most prominent stars in his country's history.
UEFA Nations League regulations also shaped the decision. They force participating teams to assign their players numbers from 1 to 23, so the number 7 had to go to a member of the current squad, even with the man tipped to wear it permanently absent.
So Forbs gets his moment with the famous number against Denmark. The long-term future of the shirt stays open, awaiting Leao's return and the chance for him to take on the role as Ronaldo's successor.
The end of the Ronaldo era and the start of a new story
Ronaldo ended his international career at the start of this November, after 23 years in the Portugal shirt. He turned the page on an exceptional chapter in which his achievements became bound up with the number 7, a prominent landmark in the national team's history.
For Portuguese fans, the number was never just a choice on the back of a shirt. It carried long years of appearances, achievements and moments Ronaldo created, until pulling his identity apart from the number he wore throughout his career became all but impossible.
Changing the design while keeping the old one, then, looks like the federation's attempt to bridge two phases. The first immortalises what Ronaldo offered. The second opens the way for a new generation to wear the number and carry the national team's journey forward.
