Portugal have reportedly given Cristiano Ronaldo’s number 7 shirt to Rafael Leao after the Al Nassr forward left Jorge Jesus’ squad.
Ronaldo has been Portugal’s number 7 for the best part of 20 years now, so it’s quite the statement for the national team to give another player that number after the recent row between Ronaldo and manager Jorge Jesus.
Goal have reported on the change, which follows a controversial few days for Ronaldo and the Portuguese national team.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was an unused substitute by Jesus in the recent game against Norway, and as a result he stormed down the tunnel at the end and left the national team’s camp.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister slams Portugal
Ronaldo’s sister Elma has posted on social media to hit out at Portugal for the way they’ve handled this, whilst also aiming criticism at the Portuguese public, insisting that the national team will now go back to “mediocrity” like they had before Ronaldo…
???? Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister Elma shares the following message on Instagram by commenting “everything has been said here”.
“CR7 deserved more respect.
The national team deserved more structure.Portuguese journalism deserved more competence and less speculation.
As for the… pic.twitter.com/gePBdM27FT
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 30, 2026
“CR7 deserved more respect. The national team deserved more structure. Portuguese journalism deserved more competence and less speculation,” Elma said.
“As for the Portuguese people, well… they don’t deserve to have the best at anything. We are envious, disdainful, ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity we always had in football before CR7.
“Thank you for everything, CR7! You deserved more!”
Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Can Ronaldo come back from this major row or is this the end for him and the Portuguese national team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!