Portugal immortalise Cristiano Ronaldo’s No 7 with permanent shirt design

Portugal announced on Saturday, ahead of their Nations League match against Denmark in Braga, that they had immortalised Cristiano Ronaldo’s No 7 shirt by introducing a permanent design change.

The move follows Ronaldo’s retirement announcement on 5 November after a falling out with coach Jorge Jesus; his career spanned 23 years, produced 246 caps and 146 goals, and included captaincy during Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph and Nations League wins in 2019 and 2025. His final appearance for Portugal came on 24 September, in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.

The federation said the alteration preserves Ronaldo’s original No 7 design as a lasting tribute and ensures the number remains associated with him. The small change to the figure 7 is presented as an acknowledgement of his playing career, during which he broke the men’s all-time scoring record.

Portugal announced the design update on social media before their Nations League clash with Denmark, posting a video that shows a horizontal crossed line through the No 7 as it is commonly written in Europe. “Time to debut a new 7. Because there’s one that will be eternal,” the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday; the post included a goat emoji to signify "Greatest Of All Time" and the footage suggests Ronaldo’s successors will wear the crossed 7.

Portugal will pay tribute to Ronaldo both before and during their Nations League fixture against Denmark in Braga on Saturday.