Portugal redesign number seven to honour Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese Football Federation has announced a special change to the number seven shirt in recognition of Cristiano Ronaldo following his retirement from international football.

Ronaldo’s number will not be worn by another Portugal player. Instead, the federation will alter the design of the shirt so that the number seven associated with the forward cannot be replicated.

Portugal face Denmark on Saturday in the fifth round of matches in Group 4 of the Nations League. In an official statement, the federation said the new version of the number seven would feature a small horizontal line added to the familiar design.

The change is intended to distinguish the shirt worn by Ronaldo throughout his Portugal career and preserve its association with one of the country’s most important players.

Ronaldo made his international debut more than 23 years ago, first appearing for Portugal on 20 August 2003 in a friendly against Kazakhstan. Portugal won 1-0, with Ronaldo coming on as a substitute for Luis Figo at the beginning of the second half.

He has since won 234 caps and scored 146 goals for Portugal. Those figures make him the country’s most-capped player and leading scorer. Ronaldo also holds the world record for the most international goals in men’s football.

His international honours include helping Portugal win Euro 2016 in France. They defeated the hosts 1-0 in the final, despite Ronaldo leaving the match injured during the first half.

Ronaldo has also won the Nations League twice with Portugal. The first success came in 2019, when Portugal beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the final.

The second arrived in 2025, when Portugal overcame Spain on penalties after the final ended 2-2. Ronaldo scored Portugal’s second goal in that match.

Portugal currently top Group 4 with 12 points after winning all four of their matches. Denmark are second on six points.