Carlos Forbes will wear Portugal’s number seven shirt against Denmark on Saturday after Rafael Leao was ruled out through injury, although the Club Brugge winger is only expected to hold the number temporarily following Cristiano Ronaldo’s international retirement.
Portugal manager Jorge Jesus has confirmed Forbes as the player who will wear the famous shirt in the Nations League quarter-final first leg at Braga. The match is the fifth round of the competition and is scheduled for 14 November 2026.
Ronaldo brought his Portugal career to an end at the start of November after 23 years with the national team. During that time, the number seven became closely associated with the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward and one of the most recognisable symbols in the country’s football history.
He leaves international football as the most-capped player in the history of the men’s game, with 234 appearances for Portugal. He is also the world’s leading international goalscorer, having scored 146 times.
Forbes has worn number seven on previous occasions, while several other players have also used it in Ronaldo’s absence since he made the shirt permanently his at Euro 2008.
According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Leao is the leading candidate to take the number on a permanent basis. His absence from Portugal’s current two matches, however, means Forbes will have the opportunity to wear it against Denmark.
Competition regulations require teams to select squad numbers from one to 23, making it necessary for number seven to be assigned to a member of the current squad despite the likely long-term successor being unavailable.
Four players left out
Jesus has also finalised his matchday squad after naming 27 players in the Portugal camp. Four had to be omitted, including Joao Cancelo, who was unavailable because of a one-match suspension.
The other three players left out are one from each area of the team. Goncalo Inacio, the Sporting CP defender, joined the camp late as a replacement for the injured Tomas Araujo.
Matheus Fernandes, the Tottenham midfielder, was one of the new faces in the squad for this international window but will not feature against Denmark.
Gustavo Varela also misses out despite preparing for a possible Portugal debut. The Monza forward is behind Goncalo Ramos and Fabio Silva in the order of preference for recognised strikers.
Forbes will therefore become the first player to wear Portugal’s number seven since Ronaldo’s retirement, albeit on a provisional basis, when the teams meet in Braga.
