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BRAGA: The Portugal soccer team are making a change to how the No. 7 is written to honor the recently-retired Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n
Ronaldo, who wore the number and went on to make it his own as \u201cCR7,\u201d retired from international soccer last week, ending a remarkable career that spanned six World Cups, a European title, and the men\u2019s all-time international scoring record.<\/p>\n
\u201cTime to debut a new 7. Because there\u2019s one that will be eternal,\u201d the Portuguese national team wrote on social media on Saturday. The post included a goat emoji to signify \u201cGreatest Of All Time.\u201d<\/p>\n
They also included a video that showed a horizontal crossed line through the No. 7 as it\u2019s commonly written in Europe, suggesting that Ronaldo\u2019s successors will all have that cross to bear when they wear the number.<\/p>\n
Carlos Forbs, the first No. 7 since Ronaldo\u2019s retirement, didn\u2019t start Saturday\u2019s Nations League match against Denmark. Portugal were already assured of reaching the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
There were tributes to Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner, before the match, when all the Portugal players and the children who accompanied them on the field wore his No. 7 jerseys.<\/p>\n
A huge banner saying \u201cOBRIGADO CAPI7\u00c3O\u201d (thanks captain with a 7 where the T should be), with pictures of Ronaldo celebrating, emphasized the message.<\/p>\n
The 41-year-old Ronaldo quit on Nov. 5 after falling out with coach Jorge Jesus. His last appearance with Portugal was Sept. 24 in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League.<\/p>\n
Jesus kept him on the bench for the following match and said he didn\u2019t plan to start him in the next one, so the superstar forward decided to leave the team\u2019s training camp.<\/p>\n
Jesus later said Ronaldo would be welcome back and the decision to return was up to him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n