Rafael Leao takes Cristiano Ronaldo’s No. 7 shirt for Portugal

Portugal’s No.7 shirt has a new owner after the sudden departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from the national team on Wednesday.

The UEFA released the squad lists on Thursday for Portugal’s match with Denmark in Copenhagen. In the list, Rafael Leao is going to step into the role of Ronaldo with the No 7 shirt.

The shake-up in the national team was followed by Ronaldo’s exit from the team after days of speculation surrounding the football star’s rift with coach Jorge Jesus.

At the core of their strained relations lies Ronaldo’s constant position on the bench even during the matches. In Wednesday's match, Portugal won against Norway but he remained on the bench.

Taking to Instagram, Ronaldo issued a statement, “After the press conference of the national team, and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have made the decision to leave the national team training camp.”

"In due course, I will tell all the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led me to leave the national team, to which I always dedicated myself.”

According to B24, tension surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's national team departure has impacted Portugal's social media following, with their official profile reportedly shedding roughly 500,000 followers in a matter of hours.