Ronaldo’s number 7 shirt

In Portugal’s victory against Denmark last Thursday, fans no doubt noticed Rafael Leão running across the pitch wearing the national team’s iconic number 7 shirt.

The shirt was worn for almost two decades by Cristiano Ronaldo.

The legendary striker inherited the number 7 shirt at the age of 23, in May 2008. The number had belonged to Luís Figo, winner of the 2000 ‘Ballon d'Or’, who left the national team that year.

The number 17 shirt, which Ronaldo had previously worn for the national team, was then passed on to Ricardo Quaresma.

With the number 7 on his back, Ronaldo became one of the greatest players in international football history: he is the all-time leading goalscorer, not only for Portugal but in international football as a whole, and led the country to its first major international title, the 2016 European Championship. He went on to win two UEFA Nations Leagues for Portugal, in 2019 and 2025.

It was also during this period that Ronaldo won the ‘Ballon d'Or’ five times – in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.

It is worth noting that Ronaldo has become virtually synonymous with the shirt itself, perhaps more so than any other player of his generation.

After all, his most famous nickname is “CR7”.

Why did Leão wear the number 7?

This week, however, we saw another name on Portugal’s number 7 shirt: Rafael Leão.

The 27-year-old winger, who plays for Galatasaray and spent the previous seven years in Italy with Milan, put in a good performance, despite failing to find the net.

But why was it Leão who wore the shirt against Denmark, and not Ronaldo?

The answer is simple: because Ronaldo wasn’t in the squad for the match.

Despite starting against Wales last week and being on the bench against Norway a few days later, the 41-year-old Al-Nassr striker fell out with manager Jorge Jesus. Shortly afterwards, he left the training camp and returned home.

The situation has sparked much speculation amongst the media and fans, but no concrete answers have yet been given as to the reason for his departure.

Ronaldo posted on social media that he would explain his reasons in due course, but that, for the time being, he would be cheering on his international teammates. Jesus, for his part, denied the dispute and played down the drama in interviews.

One thing, however, was inevitable: Portugal needed a new number 7 for the remaining Nations League matches during this FIFA international break.

The key word is ‘needed’. It was a necessity, not a matter of choice.

This is because the competition rules stipulate that players on each team must wear shirts numbered 1 to 23 during matches. Portugal, therefore, had no choice but to pass Ronaldo’s number 7 shirt on to another player.

Leão was given the honour as he is one of the national team’s key wingers.

Other players have previously worn Ronaldo’s number 7

This is not the first time another player has worn the number 7 shirt in Ronaldo’s place when, for some reason, the five-time Ballon d'Or champion was unavailable for a match: Nani wore it in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers; Ricardo Quaresma wore it in the 2012 European Championship qualifiers and in some friendlies in 2011; Pedro Tiba wore it in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers; Bruma wore it in the group stage of the 2018–19 Nations League; Ricardo Pereira, in a few friendlies; Sérgio Oliveira, in the group stage of the 2020–21 Nations League; and Ricardo Horta, in the group stage of the 2022–23 Nations League.

Even so, the shirt carries immense weight, having been worn by two of Portugal’s legendary winners of the ‘Ballon d'Or’, Figo and Ronaldo, throughout their illustrious careers.

“Cristiano has been an idol of mine since I was a child.” – Rafael Leão

Leão recognises this. Asked about the significance of the shirt, he also highlighted the personal meaning it holds in his life: “Cristiano has been an idol of mine since I was a child. The number 7 has a special meaning for me, because it’s my children’s date of birth. I simply tried to do the shirt proud and make the most of it. The most important thing is that we won the match and put in a good performance. I think we did a good job.” (A Bola)

Ronaldo v Leão: the stats for the national team

Ronaldo and Leão occupy very different places in the history of the Portuguese national team, and the statistics only serve to confirm this difference.

Cristiano Ronaldo for the Portuguese national team

  • Debut: 19 August 2003 (23 years and 1 month ago)

  • Appearances: 234

  • Goals: 146

  • Assists: 45

  • Titles: 3 (Euro 2016 / Nations League 2018–19 / Nations League 2024–25)

Rafael Leão for the Portuguese national team

  • Debut: 8 October 2021 (4 years and 11 months ago)

  • Appearances: 51

  • Goals: 6

  • Assists: 8

  • Titles: 1 (Nations League 2024–25)

Ronaldo and Leão’s paths cross

There is also a clear difference when it comes to the Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo has won the ‘Ballon d'Or’ five times and has been nominated for the award 18 times throughout his career. Leão, on the other hand, has never won it and has been nominated just once.

Interestingly, however, the year of Leão’s only nomination, 2022, was also the year of Ronaldo’s last. That year, Leão finished ahead of CR7 in the voting, in 14th place, whilst Ronaldo finished 20th.

Another point of connection between the two players’ careers is that Leão also wore the number 17 shirt for the national team before being handed the iconic number 7.

Furthermore, the two share some key similarities in their playing style and attributes: dribbling from the wings, explosive pace, physical strength and a powerful shot, to name but a few.

The future of RL7

Although Leão’s achievements for Portugal are, of course, still some way short of Ronaldo’s legendary international career, he is 14 years younger. He was just four years old when CR7 made his debut for Portugal’s senior national team. At 27, he still has many years ahead of him at the peak of his physical powers to try to build his own legacy as a Portuguese legend, following in the footsteps of CR7 and all the other incredible stars who have worn the shirt before him.

Will ‘RL7’ manage to build a legacy as remarkable as that of ‘CR7’?

Needless to say, it’s a mammoth task, but many Portuguese fans will be hoping the answer is yes.