A number of football greats, including Bryan Robson, George Best, and Eric Cantona, have worn the No. 7 shirt over the years. Even while they all made an impression, none are more closely associated with the famous number than Cristiano Ronaldo. Read more about Ronaldo Kids Jersey by visiting our website and if you have any questions related to this topic, connect with us.
The Portuguese superstar is sometimes referred to his devoted admirers as CR7, which is now a worldwide megabrand. Remarkably, Cristiano Ronaldo also owns the CR7 trademark and uses it to operate a high-end apparel company.
However, how did Cristiano come to be linked with the number seven? Here’s the whole tale.
What makes the number seven jersey so desirable?
Seven is seen as fortunate in many cultures worldwide. Therefore, any interaction with the number is widely sought for in many facets of life, including sports.
The greatest or most gifted players typically get to choose their own jersey numbers, which has eventually led to the mystique of the No. 7 jersey. Future generations will find the number even more appealing after witnessing great players wear it on the pitch.
What was the initial jersey number of Cristiano Ronaldo?
After making his debut in the Sporting Lisbon first squad from the junior setup in 2002, Cristiano Ronaldo was handed his first jersey number, which was number 28.
In truth, on August 6, 2003, Ronaldo played for Sporting Lisbon in a preseason friendly against Manchester United while wearing jersey number 28. Sporting’s new and current home field, Estadio Jose Alvalade, opened for play with this friendly match.
In the game, Ronaldo, who was only eighteen at the time, tortured the renowned Manchester United defense. The young player’s influence during the match was so great that Manchester United players crowded the team van with Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager at the time, and David Gill, the CEO at the time, demanding that Cristiano Ronaldo be taken to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo was a member of Manchester United a week later.
What made Cristiano Ronaldo wear Manchester United’s No. 7 jersey?
Unfortunately, earlier in the summer transfer window, English sensation David Beckham, who had previously worn United’s No. 7 jersey before Ronaldo, had departed the team for Real Madrid.
Sir Alex Ferguson decided that Ronaldo was qualified to take over the legacy of Manchester United’s renowned No. 7 jersey, which had been worn by club luminaries like Bryan Robson, George Best, and Eric Cantona throughout the years.
At first, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was only a teenager, wasn’t sure if he was prepared to assume such a significant role. After all, it was a huge undertaking to replace the shirt worn by cult icon and Manchester native Beckham.
Ronaldo, however, took the famous number because he was touched by Sir Alex’s faith in him. After replacing Bolton Wanderers in United’s 2003–04 Premier League season opener at Old Trafford, Ronaldo made his Manchester United debut wearing the No. 7 shirt number. As they say, the rest is history.
Cristiano Ronaldo made the No. 7 shirt his own throughout his following six seasons at Manchester, helping the Red Devils win the UEFA Champions League once and the Premier League three times. In 2008, he also took home the first of his five Ballon d’Ors.
Real Madrid’s temporary No. 9 jersey
Ronaldo was already among the finest players in the world when he transferred to Real Madrid, his childhood dream team, in 2009.
However, despite his notoriety, Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to keep the No. 7 shirt after joining Real Madrid since it was owned by Raul Gonzalez, a cult icon at the Santiago Bernabeu and a real Madrid native.
Raul, who was affectionately referred to as El Capitan for leading Real Madrid and the Spanish national team for many years, would ultimately leave his childhood club the following year, enabling Ronaldo to recover his cherished No. 7 shirt.
Ronaldo would go on to score over 450 goals for Real Madrid in his nine seasons with the Spanish powerhouses, eight of which he spent wearing the No. 7 on his back. He would become the club’s all-time leading scorer. On his route to the top, CR7, incidentally, beat Raul’s record of 323 goals.
Before joining Serie A powerhouse Juventus in 2018, Ronaldo won two La Liga championships and an incredible four UEFA Champions League wins with Real Madrid.
Juan Cuadrado of Colombia was wearing the Old Lady’s No. 7 shirt at the time of his transfer, but this time, Ronaldo couldn’t wait. Cuadrado quickly gave the Portuguese great the jersey.
It makes sense that Ronaldo kept his No. 7 shirt when rejoining Manchester United in 2021 and continued to do so after joining Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia in 2023.
The Portugal national football team’s Cristiano Ronaldo stats
Ronaldo wore the number for a short time in 2001–02 when playing for the Portugal U-17 national team, even before establishing his claim to the No. 7 at Manchester United. After being promoted to the U-21 national setup, he moved to No. 11.
In August 2003, Ronaldo made his senior international debut against Kazakhstan, replacing Luis Figo at halftime. At the time, Figo, who was already a Portuguese icon, wore the No. 7 shirt, while the then-18-year-old wore the No. 17.