To protect Cristiano Ronaldo's legendary number, the Portuguese football association has changed the shirt design. Future national team players will receive a visually different 7.
By adding an extra horizontal stroke to the digit, the Federacao Portuguesa de Futebol (FPF) will make future shirt numbers look distinctly different from the typography associated with Ronaldo for more than 20 years.
Regulations bar national teams from officially retiring shirt numbers, so officials have found another way to protect Ronaldo's 7. Players in the squad will still receive the number, but the exact design from the Cristiano Ronaldo era will remain reserved exclusively for the former captain.
In a statement, the association attributed the decision to the superstar's historic significance for football in the country. "This is another way to immortalise the significance of such a special number and honour the legacy it represents," the association said. "From today, then, we will see a different 7 on the shirt – but with the same essence and the same pride. The previous number will be preserved as a symbol of a story that will never be forgotten."
The move comes just weeks after the end of an unprecedented international career. In early November, the now 41-year-old announced his departure from the Selecao after 23 years.
Before his retirement, a public falling-out with national team coach Jorge Jesus overshadowed Ronaldo's final weeks with the national team. His record remains unmatched: 234 appearances and 146 goals put him well clear at the top of both the association's all-time appearances and scoring lists.
Ronaldo shaped the most successful period in Portuguese football over more than two decades in his country's shirt. After years without a major title, he led the team to the European Championship in 2016, then won the Nations League in 2019 and 2025.