​TA: Due to FIFA Rules, Portugal Cannot Retire Cristiano Ronaldo's No. 7 Shirt

November 6 – The Athletic reports that although Cristiano Ronaldo has officially announced his retirement from the Portugal national team, FIFA regulations prevent national teams from permanently retiring shirt numbers in major official competitions. As a result, Portugal cannot hold a number-retirement ceremony for his No. 7.

Ronaldo made 234 appearances for Portugal, with his final international match coming against Wales on September 24. He first joined the national team setup in 2003, initially wearing No. 16 before taking over the No. 7 shirt from 2008. During his international career, he won Euro 2016 and two UEFA Nations League titles. He currently holds the record for most goals in men's international football with 146 and is also the all-time leader in international appearances.

Ronaldo's farewell has brought the topic of retired shirt numbers back into focus. Many fans are unaware of the FIFA rule: permanent number retirement is not permitted in official international competitions. In American sports, retiring a legendary player's number is a common tribute, especially in the NBA, WNBA, and MLB, and is regarded as one of the highest honours a team can bestow. The same player's number can be retired by multiple teams – Wilt Chamberlain's No. 13 was retired by the Warriors, 76ers, and Lakers; both of Kobe Bryant's No. 8 and No. 24 were retired by the Lakers. Every NBA team except the Clippers has retired numbers, Bill Russell's No. 6 is retired league-wide, and MLB's No. 42 (Jackie Robinson) and NHL's No. 99 (Wayne Gretzky) are also retired across their respective leagues.

Such gestures are rare in football. Liverpool retired the No. 20 shirt of Diogo Jota, who passed away in 2025; Ajax's No. 14 for Johan Cruyff, AC Milan's No. 3 for Paolo Maldini and No. 6 for Franco Baresi, and Birmingham City's No. 22 for Jude Bellingham are among the few examples of retired numbers in football.

FIFA's regulations close the door on national teams retiring numbers. In competitions organised by FIFA and confederations (Portugal belongs to UEFA), players on the squad list must be assigned consecutive numbers. For the 2026 World Cup, for example, each team registers 26 players, with numbers fixed from 1 to 26. The Argentine Football Association planned to permanently retire Diego Maradona's No. 10, but FIFA rejected the request ahead of the 2002 World Cup; Ariel Ortega wore the No. 10 at that tournament. However, Serie A club Napoli did retire Maradona's No. 10.

Portugal had not previously made such a request. Before Ronaldo, the Portugal No. 7 belonged to Ballon d'Or winner Luís Figo, who left the national team in 2006; when the two played together, Ronaldo wore No. 17. Nani and Ricardo Quaresma both wore No. 7 during periods when Ronaldo was absent. After Ronaldo's international retirement in September, Rafael Leão wore the No. 7 shirt in Portugal's remaining two Nations League matches that month.

Source: The New York Times