Carlos Forbs has rediscovered his smile five months after losing it at Wolves as he continued his blockbuster start to the new season.The 21-year-old became only the second player, barring Cristiano Ronaldo, to wear Portugal’s iconic No.7 shirt since 2007 on Sunday.Carlos Forbs wore Ronaldo’s iconic No.7 on his Portugal debutGettyRonaldo’s No.7 Portugal shirt given to new player for only the second time in 17 yearsThe country’s most recognisable kit number has almost exclusively been reserved for its captain for the past two decades.Even in games where Ronaldo has been rested by Portugal, such as the 4-2 win over Finland and 1-1 draw with Croatia in June and November 2024, respectively, his vacant jersey has been untouched.However, with the 40-year-old banned for A Selecao’s final World Cup qualifier, Forbs donned CR7’s shirt on his senior Portugal debut.The latter then curiously mirrored the only other Portuguese player to enjoy such an honour by coming on to win a penalty from which Bruno Fernandes duly bagged his hat-trick in a 9-1 win over Armenia.It follows Bruma, who scored as a sub from a Fernandes assist while wearing Ronaldo’s No.7 in a 5-2 victory against Sweden in March 2024.606 days later, Forbs has been rewarded for his stunning career rival with his second-half performance in his nation’s most iconic shirt.“It’s definitely a compliment,” European football expert Andy Brassell exclusively told talkSPORT.com. “There’s no doubt about that. “There’s maybe something a little bit problematic in one of the other more senior players inheriting it. That’s something that could cause a bit of a minor incident, I suppose.“They’ve all got their own numbers, so I don’t think any of the other players would have switched from that, but it’s definitely a compliment for him to get it.”He became only the second Portugal player since 2007 to wear the shirt in Ronaldo’s absenceGettyNo player boasts more international appearances or goals than Portugal skipper RonaldoCarlos Forbs stats at Club Brugge after Wolves woesForbs had 19 touches and boasted an 80 per cent pass accuracy from the 12 he attempted during Portugal’s 9-1 thrashing of Armenia.Brassell told talkSPORT: “When you consider how many attacking options Portugal have got, it would be, I think, a bit of a stretch to say that Carlos Forbs is nailed on for a place at the World Cup. “But he’s someone who I think really impresses the people around him at Brugge, at Ajax and with the Portugal camp, with his attitude and his approach, he’s extremely hard working.“That sort of player is always going to work for an international coach at a tournament because you know if you’re bringing Carlos Forbs, he’s not going to complain and whine if he’s not in the XI. “When you bring him on, he’s going to make an impact. That’s exactly what you need from the players who aren’t going to be in your XI.Forbs has been rewarded for his stunning form in Belgium for Club BruggeGetty“He’s someone who’s had to wait, he’s had to be patient, who’s not a pain when he’s not playing. And he was very well liked at Wolves, despite the fact that he didn’t really get all the opportunities he wanted to, which is the same thing.“He can impact when he gets the opportunities, but if he has to sit out and wait for his chance, he’s not going to throw his toys out of the pram as well. And that’s hugely important at a World Cup.”Roberto Martinez was keen to get a closer look at the forward, who has hit the ground running since his arrival at Club Brugge.Forbs has scored five goals and registered a further five assists across 20 appearances for the Belgian outfit this term.He even won UEFA‘s coveted player-of-the-match award following the double he netted in a 3-3 Champions League draw against Barcelona.It represents a remarkable turnaround from the end of a miserable spell at Wolves last season, having struggled for minutes at Molineux.The 21-year-old scored twice and assisted in the 3-3 draw with BarcelonaGettyHe topped his entire goal contributions at Wolves in one match against BarcaGettyForbs was earmarked as the Old Gold’s replacement for Pedro Neto after agreeing a loan with an option to buy on deadline day 2024.Yet he ultimately made just 11 appearances, which included only one Premier League start, for a total of 260 minutes on the pitch.Forbs’ instant revival into a Champions League-calibre player emulates his countryman, Vitinha, who bounced back from his own horror spell at Wolves to finish third in the Ballon d’Or.Brassell added to talkSPORT: “It is tempting to make that comparison, isn’t it, with Vitinha, because he’s a player who has obviously gone on to become one of the very best in the world.”Vitinha helped Paris Saint-Germain win the first Champions League in the club’s historyGettyHe continued: “With Carlos Forbs, I think he’s shown already that he’s a player with ability. And there were plenty of clubs interested in him before he went to Brugge and before he went to Wolves as well. “He had the spell at Ajax, where there were moments, but a lot of the clubs that he’s been at, they’ve kind of been basket cases really. “A bit like Wolves, they had a talented player who they couldn’t fit into their system. “But I think it’s just the right time and the right place at Club Brugge. A club that is frequently underestimated despite their history.”Forbs struggled to feature under either Gary O’ Neil or Vítor PereiraGettyThe attacker was billed as the club’s replacement for Pedro NetoGettyWolves rejected £11m Carlos Forbs dealForbs, who admitted that he lost his smile at Wolves, was told that he didn’t ‘have the skills’ to suit recently-sacked Vitor Pereira’s system.“He’s a winger, one against one. To do what I want in this system is difficult for him when we are defending. He doesn’t have the skill to go and come back to defend, it’s difficult,” said Pereira.“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.”As a result, the Premier League strugglers opted against buying him permanently for a cut-price £11 million, and he returned to Ajax.To add insult to injury, Forbs was one of seven players told over WhatsApp that they are ‘not welcome’ at Ajax’s training ground by the club’s technical director, Alex Kroes.Forbs joined Ajax from Mn City in 2023 without making a senior appearance under Pep GuardiolaGettyWolves then allowed him to return to Amsterdam without triggering the £11m option in his dealGettyHis subsequent £7.4m switch to Club Brugge netted his former Premier League club a tidy £1.5m cash boost from a sell-on clause.Unfortunately for Wolves, it was to Manchester City, who nurtured him into one of their academy’s top young stars from 2015-2023.Forbs, then known as Carlos Borges, looked to be on the cusp of a first-team breakthrough in the 2022/23 season.He was named the Premier League 2 Player of the Season after scoring 29 goals with 18 assists, a goal contribution every 55 minutes.His heroics even caught the eye of Erling Haaland, who was shown one of Forbs’ strikes for City’s youth side in a viral video in June 2023.Forbs’ recent form will come as no surprise to HaalandXView Tweet: https://t.co/ccKCux3NBI“Great goal, is that Carlos? Perfect touch and a lovely finish – I’ve been training a lot with these guys. Carlos is good,” Haaland said.Forbs eventually left the Etihad without making his City debut, before finally finding his feet at his third club in four seasons.As Haaland said first, Europe is now realising ‘Carlos is good’…