Portugal are carrying out their Cristiano Ronaldo transition in real time after his number seven shirt was given out hours after he left the squad in Copenhagen.
Reports have confirmed that Galatasaray star Rafael Leao is the new Portugal number seven for the remainder of this month's fixtures.
Ronaldo walked out of the national team after a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus, releasing a statement to make the announcement on Wednesday evening.
Leao has now been registered with UEFA as the number seven for games against Denmark and Norway.
Rafael Leao Handed Portugal's No. 7 Shirt After Ronaldo Exit
The UEFA website has officially listed Leao as Portugal's No. 7 for the Denmark fixture.
Ronaldo has had the number seven shirt for Portugal since Luis Figo retired from international football after the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Like Ronaldo, he featured for Sporting CP before leaving Portugal, and was tipped for years to be a potential successor to the 41-year-old, but he has remained on the fringes of significant success since.
The 27-year-old has appeared 50 times in a Portugal shirt, scoring six goals and providing seven assists, as he has struggled for consistency in the national team.
Over the years, players like Pedro Neto, Francisco Trincao, and Goncalo Guedes have previously worn the number seven shirt for Portugal in Ronaldo's absences without a great deal being made of it, but this instance feels different, given the backdrop of what happened in the last few days.
For Leao, this marks the first time he will wear the shirt for the senior national team, potentially adding to speculation about Portugal's next generation following Ronaldo's departure from the camp.
Leao will now take on a more prominent role in the squad and could potentially start against Denmark.
Inside the Jorge Jesus-Cristiano Ronaldo Rift That Led to Ronaldo's Exit
The rift between Cristiano Ronaldo and new Portugal coach Jorge Jesus escalated very rapidly during the latter's first camp in charge of the national team.
The 72-year-old replaced Roberto Martinez as national team boss, following a successful season with Ronaldo for Al-Nassr, which yielded a Saudi Pro League title.
Jesus did not give the Portugal captain the full 90 minutes in the opener against Wales, lightly criticising his performance in the narrow win.
In the second game against Norway, the 41-year-old was named on the substitutes' bench and did not feature.
After warming up for much of the second half without being introduced, he went straight down the tunnel after the final whistle, deciding not to applaud the fans or his teammates.
Ronaldo missed training on Monday and Tuesday amid the reported dispute, leading Portuguese FA president Pedro Proenca to travel to Denmark to try to defuse the situation in the camp.
An emergency meeting between all involved parties was arranged, but Jesus' subsequent press conference was followed by Ronaldo's decision to leave the Portugal camp.
