Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Portugal, Rafael Leao the new No 7. And the Portugal national team lose 500,000 followers on social media

Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal's training camp on the eve of the Nations League match against Denmark, but the No 7 shirt will not lie vacant. As ABola report, Rafael Leao will wear it this evening for the match at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, the forward who moved in the summer from AC Milan to Galatasaray .

Forced choice

The Nations League regulations stipulate that the players on the teamsheet must be numbered from 1 to 23. That is why Portugal could not avoid giving CR7 the No 7 shirt. Former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo is in the squad, but Francisco Conceicao is not, sidelined by a thigh problem, although tests ruled out a lesion.

Social media effect

According to B24 the fallout from Ronaldo's departure has hit the Portugal national team, with the national side's official profile said to have lost around 500,000 followers in just a few hours. Portuguese fans, however, are convinced the man chiefly responsible for the situation is Cristiano Ronaldo himself: according to a poll by ABola 8.1% blame federation president Pedro Proença, 13.7% head coach Jorge Jesus and 78.2% the Al Nassr forward.

The case is not closed

The row is not going away any time soon: Marca reports that Ronaldo was promised and guaranteed greater respect by the federation until 2027 to convince him to return to the national team, while Portuguese media say even Portugal's Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, has asked for a meeting with head coach Jorge Jesus to hear every detail of what happened.