Portugal did not have to wait long after Cristiano Ronaldo left the national team camp, as UEFA confirmed that Rafael Leao would wear the number 7 jersey in the squad to face Denmark.
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According to the official list published on the UEFA website, Leao appeared with the number 7 instead of his usual number 17, while the number 17 shirt was transferred to Fabio Silva.
The move comes after Ronaldo left the national team camp in Copenhagen ahead of the match against Denmark.
Ronaldo left the Portugal camp following the developments within the national team, after he did not participate in the victory over Norway. He then announced via his Instagram account that he had decided to leave the camp after speaking with the president of the Portuguese Federation, confirming that he would reveal the reasons in due course.
Leao wearing the number 7 shirt in the Denmark match is certainly eye-catching, especially since the number has been associated with Ronaldo's name with Portugal for many years.
But officially, there is no confirmation that the Portuguese Federation has declared Leao as Ronaldo's permanent "heir" or that the number has become his permanent property.
Portuguese press reports indicate that the number change was made within the current match roster, while UEFA's database still shows Ronaldo and Leao with the number 7 in the general national team roster, which supports the possibility that the change is related to this particular international window.
The competition regulations also impose specific numbers on the players on the match roster, therefore number 7 could not have remained vacant against Denmark.
A striking comparison with Argentina's star Lionel Messi stands out here.
When Argentina announced that Messi would play a farewell match, Lionel Scaloni decided to leave the number 10 jersey vacant until that match, in a gesture of tribute to the star whose name was associated with the number throughout his career with the national team.
The crucial difference remains that Messi has announced the end of his international career, while Ronaldo has not yet announced his retirement from the Portuguese national team. Therefore, Leão wearing the number 7 may not officially signify the end of Ronaldo's era with Portugal.
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