FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to kick a penalty during a round of sixteen match between Portugal and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File) Portugal are preparing a series of tributes to Cristiano Ronaldo when they face Denmark in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday, marking the end of an international career that lasted more than two decades.
The Portuguese Football Federation has approved a collective gesture involving every player in the squad, while supporters at the Estadio Municipal de Braga will also have an opportunity to honour their former captain during the match.Portugal players to wear Cristiano Ronaldo's No.
7 shirt against Denmark The most visible part of the tribute will come before kick-off, when every member of Portugal's squad is expected to wear the No.
7 shirt associated with Ronaldo as the team walks out at the Estadio Municipal de Braga.The decision was reportedly finalised during a meeting on Thursday involving Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proença, national team head coach Jorge Jesus and the senior leadership group.
The players involved in the discussions included captains Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias and Bruno Fernandes.According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, the meeting brought together the federation's leadership and coaching staff to determine how best to recognise Ronaldo's contribution following his announcement of international retirement on November 5.
The tribute will extend beyond the pre-match walk-out.
The match is also scheduled to be paused in the seventh minute, allowing supporters to rise and applaud the former captain.
UEFA has reportedly granted special permission for the gesture, giving fans at the Braga stadium an opportunity to recognise the player whose number has become synonymous with Portuguese football.Ronaldo's attendance remains unconfirmed, so it is not yet clear whether he will be present to witness the ceremony himself.Jorge Jesus explains who organised Portugal's farewell to Ronaldo Jesus addressed the arrangements during his pre-match press conference, making clear that the tribute was a decision taken by the federation rather than one organised independently by the coaching staff.“Such decisions are always the responsibility of the Portuguese Football Federation, more specifically its football and sporting departments and its president,” Jesus said.
The Portugal coach also spoke about the scale of Ronaldo's contribution, pointing to the 23 years he spent representing the national team and the influence he had beyond the country.“It is brilliant because nobody can forget the 23 years Cris spent with the national team, what he achieved for Portugal, and the impact he has had on the world of football,” Jesus added.The federation has also decided to leave vacant the room Ronaldo used at Cidade do Futebol, Portugal's national team training complex.
The gesture is intended to preserve a symbolic place for the former captain within the squad during the first international break following his retirement.The arrangements come as Portugal begin preparing for a future without the player who has been central to their national team for much of the modern era.
Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva are among the experienced figures expected to assume greater leadership responsibilities, although Ronaldo's departure leaves a significant gap in both the squad's history and its attacking record.Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal records after 23 years and 146 goals Ronaldo retired from international football with 146 goals in 234 appearances, records that leave him as the leading goalscorer and most-capped player in the history of men's international football.His Portugal debut came on August 20, 2003, against Kazakhstan, beginning a career that concluded on September 24, 2026.
Across those 23 years, he became the defining figure of a generation that delivered the country's first European Championship title and two Nations League triumphs.Portugal's victory at Euro 2016 in France was the defining achievement of Ronaldo's international career, followed by Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.
His individual records extended across both major international competitions: he scored 11 goals in 27 World Cup appearances, making him Portugal's leading scorer at the tournament, and established the men's record of 14 goals in European Championship final tournaments.FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo gestures as he holds the trophy while celebrating winning the UEFA Nations League final soccer match between Portugal and Netherlands at the Dragao stadium in Porto, Portugal.
AP/PTI(AP11_05_2026_000313B) He also became the only player to score at six different men's World Cups, finding the net in Germany in 2006, South Africa in 2010, Brazil in 2014, Russia in 2018, Qatar in 2022 and the 2026 tournament.
His combined total of 25 goals across the European Championship and World Cup is another men's international record.Ronaldo scored against 49 different national teams, with Luxembourg conceding 11 goals and Hungary nine.
His international record also includes 10 hat-tricks, two of which contained four goals, and 22 converted penalties.
Of his 146 goals, 124 came in competitive internationals, excluding friendly matches.Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Those numbers provide the statistical measure of a career that also included unsuccessful campaigns and difficult tournament exits before Portugal's major successes.
The tribute against Denmark will give the federation, the players and supporters an opportunity to recognise the full contribution of a footballer whose influence extended well beyond the records he accumulated.
