After the furore over departure: another Portugal star is set to receive Cristiano Ronaldo's shirt number

According to the Portuguese portal B24 , Rafael Leao is set to take Ronaldo's iconic number seven for Galatasaray Istanbul in the next two international matches against Denmark (1 October) and Norway (4 October).

Ronaldo did not play a single minute in Selecao's 2-1 win against Norway on Monday and had to watch from the bench, much to his frustration. While his team-mates celebrated the victory with the fans, Ronaldo headed straight down the tunnel. The following day he missed team training and then left the team camp voluntarily. He could now face a severe punishment for that.

Ronaldo himself confirmed his departure on Instagram a little later. "After the coach's press conference and a conversation with the president of the Portuguese federation, I decided to leave the team camp," wrote the Al-Nassr superstar. He said he wanted to comment on his exact reasons at the "right time". At the same time, he wished Portugal and his team-mates luck.

What does coach Jorge Jesus say about Ronaldo's departure?

Earlier, Portugal coach Jorge Jesus had made it clear he would only use the now 41-year-old record goalscorer if he actually needed him. That is exactly what he did last Sunday.

Still, Jesus showed understanding for Ronaldo's disappointment: "When you warm up for 20 or 30 minutes and then don't come on - nobody is happy about that." However, he said the decision had been his. "I decided that he would not come on," the coach explained, while also stressing: "That is no reason to make a big deal out of it."

On the pitch, Portugal remain in a good position despite the unrest surrounding Ronaldo: the 2016 European champions currently lead the group ahead of Norway and Denmark, while Wales are still bottom of the table without a point after two matches.