Portugal Surprisingly Hand Cristiano Ronaldo’s No. 7 Jersey to Premier League Flop

Carlos Forbs may not have been able to break through at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the jet-heeled 22-year-old winger has been entrusted as Portugal’s first No.7 since Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement from international soccer.

There has been much speculation about who will take on the burden of a digit which has become indelibly linked to one player for the past two decades since Portugal can’t retire the number due to FIFA’s strict numerical regulations.

While Lionel Scaloni was able to name an Argentina roster without a new No. 10 in Lionel Messi’s first absence given the friendly nature of Friday’s fixture with Uruguay, the rules of the Nations League have forced Jorge Jesus’s hand ahead of Saturday’s clash with Denmark.

The veteran coach who played a significant role in Ronaldo’s abrupt retirement has now shifted the spotlight onto the unlikely figure of Forbs, who will wear the No. 7 for at least this month, as revealed by Portugal’s official squad list on UEFA’s website.

For those whose only exposure to the pint-sized speedster was his underwhelming loan spell at Wolves during a 2024–25 season spent flirting with relegation, this honor may come as a surprise. Yet, the Club Brugge forward could come to represent an inspired choice.

Who Is Portugal’s New No. 7 Carlos Forbs?

Carlos Forbs celebrating an excellent season. — Carlos Forbs is having an excellent season. | Gregory Van Gansen/Photonews/Getty Images

Age: 22
Club: Club Brugge
Portugal caps: 1
Portugal goals: 0

The signs that Forbs would take on the No. 7 had always been there. Galatasaray’s mercurial winger Rafael Leão had been given the digit when Ronaldo sulked out of Portugal’s September-October camp but missed out on November’s roster due to a muscular injury.

The likes of João Félix, Pedro Neto, Francisco Trincão or Geovany Quenda could all have feasibly assumed the mantle. Roma’s teenage prodigy Rodrigo Mora publicly distanced himself from the shirt this month. “No, no, no, I don’t think about that, it is far too much for me,” he warned with a smile. However, when Ronaldo was last absent for Portugal, it was Forbs who took on the challenge.

After getting duped into needless red card against the Republic of Ireland a year ago, Ronaldo’s No. 7 shirt was worn by Forbs. The winger came off the bench to win a penalty in Portugal’s 9–1 annihilation of Armenia.

That stood alone as Forbs’s only senior international cap heading into the November break. The Club Brugge forward missed out on the World Cup roster and was overlooked for the fall fixtures, but Jesus couldn’t turn him down for much longer.

Carlos Forbs of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on. — Carlos Forbs never quite made it at Wolverhampton Wanderers. | Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images

Forbs has always been seen as a figure with immense potential. The electric left footer joined Manchester City’s academy as a 10-year-old and would blossom into one of the club’s most exciting prospects, earning recognition as the Premier League 2 Player of the Season in 2022–23. That summer Ajax spent €14 million ($15.4 million) on a teenager without a single senior appearance to his name.

A difficult debut season at an Ajax side which churned through four managers in three months convinced Forbs to return to England with a loan spell at Wolves. It never clicked.

“To do what I want in this system is difficult for him when we are defending,” Wolves’ Portuguese coach Vítor Pereira explained, pointing out how his preferred back-three formation left little room for a classical winger like Forbs. “He doesn’t have the skill to go and come back to defend, it’s difficult.

“It’s not about his quality because he has quality, he’s strong one against one, he’s very fast. But in my system, he cannot play inside in between the lines because he doesn’t have these skills. And to play outside is a different profile of player.”

Carlos Forbs’s Premier League Stats

Appearances: 10
Starts: 1
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Yellow cards: 2

Despite remaining fit for most of the campaign, Forbs was given only one Premier League start all season and featured just twice after the turn of the year.

Upon his return to the Netherlands, Ajax cut their losses on Forbs and offloaded him to Club Brugge in 2025, where he would rediscover the potential that had always been bubbling beneath the surface.

Finally settled in a system which suited his strengths, Forbs hit double digits for goals and assists during a triumphant debut campaign which earned him the Belgian top-flight title. The diminutive winger has made an even more encouraging start to the new campaign, offering a prolific outlet domestically while also impressing in the Champions League. Forbs won a penalty and teed up two goals in Brugge’s famous 4–3 victory over Inter Milan at San Siro in October before scoring in consecutive outings against Lens and PSV Eindhoven.

“To me, Forbs’s story is quite typical for a footballer,” his manager Ivan Leko outlined earlier this season. “Sometimes, there are clubs, countries, or coaches that simply aren’t the right fit for you at a certain stage of your career. Seeing him now, I’m just glad he’s playing for us and not for the opposition.” Portuguese fans may soon share that stance.

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