However, Portugal Football Federation protocols confirm that the shirt assignment is purely procedural and does not represent a permanent reallocation or stripping of Ronaldo's iconic number. Under UEFA and FIFA international competition rules, squad members must be registered sequentially from 1 to 23 for official fixtures, leaving no vacant numbers when players leave camp. Following Ronaldo's departure from the national team camp on Wednesday, the number was assigned to Leão for the Denmark match. This standard practice has been utilized during prior Ronaldo absences, with players such as Gonçalo Guedes, Carlos Forbs, Bruma, Pedro Neto, Francisco Trincão, and Nani temporarily wearing the No. 7 shirt before Ronaldo reclaimed it upon his return.