Can Portugal Retire Cristiano Ronaldo’s No.7 Shirt

Many wondered if this news would ever come, but yes, Cristiano Ronaldo has finally retired from international football. Now 41, the veteran forward has played his final game for Portugal.

The Al-Nassr star bows out with 146 goals in 234 caps for his country, having also won Euro 2016. In his departing message, he said: “To the Portuguese people, the day has come to return the number 7 jersey of our national team. I never felt it was exclusively mine. But for 23 years I had the privilege and responsibility of wearing it, defending it, and taking it with me to stadiums all over the world. Today the moment has come to hand it over to the future. It wasn’t an easy decision, because there are decisions that aren’t made only with the head. They are also made with the heart.”

For club and country, the number seven shirt has become synonymous with Ronaldo. As such, despite his claims that it’s ‘time to return the jersey,’ some are wondering if Portugal will instead retire the number as an acknowledgement of his special career.

However, it might not be quite so simple as just making one decision.

FIFA Rule Prevents International Shirt Numbers From Being Retired

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Jerome Miron

A little-known FIFA rule stops international shirt numbers from being retired. Ronaldo actually started out wearing No.16 when he made his debut in 2003, but was handed the No.7 shirt in 2008. He wore it as he lifted Euro 2016 and two Nations League titles, while also becoming the all-time men’s international top goalscorer.

Had he achieved that level of success at a club team, maybe he would have seen the shirt number retired. Johan Cruyff (14 at Ajax), Paolo Maldini (3 at AC Milan), and Franco Baresi (6 also at Milan) are all among the legendary footballers to have had their shirt numbers retired, while Liverpool paid respect to Diogo Jota by retiring his No.20 jersey after his tragic passing in 2025.

Ronaldo, though, will have to pass on the number seven shirt to another Portuguese star. This is because national teams are required to designate consecutive numbers for every player in the squad for FIFA and FIFA confederation tournaments. At the 2026 World Cup, for example, sides were made up of 26 players, meaning squad numbers had to go from 1 to 26. As such, it would be a breach of rules to skip past the number seven on a tournament-going squad list.

Argentina Tried To Retire No.10 For Maradona

REUTERS

Perhaps this isn’t the worst rule in the world. After all, Argentina once tried to retire the No.10 shirt in honour of World Cup-winning great Diego Maradona. They had a request denied by FIFA ahead of the 2002 World Cup, but the number was fittingly later won by Lionel Messi, who would win the 2022 World Cup and match his predecessor’s legacy.

Despite also having many past greats, Portugal have never requested to retire a number before. Ballon d’Or winner Luis Figo used to wear No.7, while the likes of Nani and Ricardo Quaresma even donned it while Ronaldo was absent.

It’s worth noting that when Ronaldo quit the Portugal camp early in September, Rafael Leao took on the vacant No.7 shirt for the two remaining Nations League fixtures. It remains to be seen if he will wear that number in the upcoming break later this month.

Useful Links