Chelsea’s Pedro Neto has found himself in the conversation to inherit one of the most famous shirts in football. Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international duty, and Portugal now need a new No. 7.

It’s a pretty big deal over there. Ronaldo wore the number for 20 years, having taken it from Luís Figo in 2006. Two of Portugal’s greatest ever footballers, one shirt, three decades.

Naturally, there’s now a debate about who deserves to wear it next. And, believe it or not, Neto is among the candidates.

A talented winger, certainly, but hardly someone who has been universally adored wherever he’s played.

Pedro Neto could inherit Portugal’s famous No. 7

Portuguese newspaper A Bola has been discussing the situation following Ronaldo’s international retirement. The number belonged to him on 202 occasions between September 2006 and September 2026.

There were occasional replacements, of course. In fact, 15 different players wore it during his absences, including Neto.

Now Portugal need someone to take it on permanently. And the newspaper points to the Chelsea winger and Sporting’s Francisco Trincão as two possible successors.

Rafael Leão would be another obvious candidate. He actually wore the shirt in Portugal’s last two matches, but is currently injured. Carlos Forbs has also worn it before.

With Portugal preparing to face Denmark and Wales, Jorge Jesus has a decision to make. And whoever gets the shirt will have quite a legacy to live up to.

Neto’s career makes this a rather curious possibility

The funny thing about Neto being mentioned is that he has never really been an undisputed star.

At Wolves, everyone could see the talent. He was quick, direct and capable of making defenders miserable. But injuries kept getting in the way, and his performances weren’t always consistent either.

Chelsea have certainly got more out of him. He’s become an important player at Stamford Bridge, playing regularly and producing better numbers.

Still, there’s a difference between being a useful Premier League winger and being the obvious heir to Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt.

All club competitions. 2026/27 figures are ongoing.

To be fair to Neto, the improvement is obvious. His last two completed seasons at Chelsea brought 19 goals and 18 assists. That’s considerably better than his injury-hit final years at Wolves.

He’s also started this campaign reasonably well, with four goals in 13 appearances.

But those numbers tell the story of a player who has taken years to establish himself. Even now, he can look brilliant one week and frustrating the next.

The idea of him becoming Portugal’s next No. 7 would have sounded rather unlikely a few years ago.

A famous shirt, but no obvious successor

Of course, nobody is expecting Neto, Trincão or anyone else to become the next Ronaldo. Portugal could spend another century looking for that.

And perhaps that’s what makes this debate so interesting. For the first time in 20 years, the national team have no automatic choice for their most iconic shirt.

Neto has a couple of things going for him. He’s already worn it for Portugal, plays regularly at Chelsea and happens to wear No. 7 at club level too. But that doesn’t make him the right choice.

A Bola doesn’t suggest any decision has been made, and Leão’s eventual return gives Portugal another option.

Still, it’s quite something that a player whose career has been so stop-start is now being discussed as a possible successor to Figo and Ronaldo.