Cristiano Ronaldo has brought his international career with Portugal to an end. His number 7, however, cannot simply be retired. So the federation has found another way.
Portugal is not taking the number 7 out of circulation after Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement. It will, however, look different. The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has redesigned the numeral and is reserving the previous version for Ronaldo, “to immortalise a story that will never be forgotten”.
The new design makes its debut in the Nations League match against Denmark in Braga on 14 November 2026, worn by Carlos Forbs. The 22-year-old had already been given the number on his international debut against Armenia in November 2025, when Ronaldo was suspended.
Why Portugal Cannot Retire the Number 7
Clubs can retire a shirt number for good. For national teams, the regulations of the Nations League and the World Cup rule that out. In the league phase of the Nations League, every association submits a list of 23 players before each match, and shirt numbers must run from 1 to 23. At the World Cup, the same principle applies with up to 26 players and the numbers 1 to 26. With a full squad, every number is taken – the 7 included.
Argentina knows the problem. The federation wanted to retire Diego Maradona’s 10, but FIFA did not allow it for the 2002 World Cup. After Lionel Messi announced his retirement on 31 August 2026, Argentina initially left his 10 unassigned. Head coach Lionel Scaloni said it would only be handed out once that became mandatory – and then to one player for good. Leaving a number free for individual matches is not the same as retiring it.
When he retired on 5 November 2026, Ronaldo himself said he was handing the 7 back to the national team. After 234 caps, 146 goals, the 2016 European Championship and two Nations League titles, the number still has to appear on the team sheet. So Portugal is doing what the rules allow.
What Portugal’s New Number 7 Looks Like
The FPF unveiled the new version in a video on social media. The numeral is white with a turquoise-blue outline. In its upper third, the stem carries a short horizontal bar, as on a handwritten 7; further down sits the federation’s small crest with its cross. The FPF’s caption read: “Time to unveil a new 7. Because there is one that will be eternal.”
Tempo de estrear um novo 7. Porque há um que será eterno ∞🐐 https://t.co/UCozRU3t89
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) November 14, 2026
In its statement, the federation speaks of “a different number 7 on the shirt, but with the same essence and the same pride”. The tribute no longer lies in an empty place in the squad, but in the difference between two versions of the same number.
In club football, retiring a shirt number is a special form of tribute. Napoli retired the 10 in honour of Maradona in 2000. In the Nations League and at the World Cup, that route remains closed to national teams. Portugal’s solution shows where there is still room for manoeuvre: the regulations decide which numbers are handed out. What they look like is up to the federation.
