On this day in 2010, a 25-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo received Real Madrid’s legendary number seven shirt and went on to be one of the clubs greatest ever players.
Although Ronaldo joined from Manchester United in 2009, his preferred number seven was worn by club captain and legendary figure Raul.
Ronaldo instead wore the number nine shirt in his inaugural year at the Bernabeu.
‘CR7’ still enjoyed his debut year in Madrid, scoring 26 goals in 29 La Liga games.
However, once Raul made his move to Schalke in the summer of 2010, Ronaldo took up the mantle of the number seven shirt.
Ronaldo lived up to his predecessors legacy and has arguably surpassed it.
The 34-year-old went on to break the 50-goal mark in all competitions for the next six seasons as well as win a glutton of trophies including four Champions Leagues.
During his time at Real Madrid, the Portuguese star recorded 417 goals in 403 games as well as 119 assists.
Ronaldo’s nine-year stay ended last summer when he departed for Italian giants Juventus.
Since his departure, Madrid have endured a torrid time.
A humiliating Champions League exit to Ajax as well as two managerial sackings have led to Zinedine Zidane returning to the helm and overseeing a major overhaul this summer.
Signings have included Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo, Luca Jovic and Eden Hazard.
In terms of the number seven, Mariano Diaz is having a tough time living up to the Portuguese captain’s accolades.
Diaz returned to Madrid last summer from Lyon and explained that he requested the number seven.
Per The Guardian, the forward said, “It’s the one that was free, I imagine no one wanted it.”
He struggled in the 2018/2019 season, scoring four goals in 18 appearances.
To be fair, it would be hard for anyone to live up to Ronaldo’s legacy in the Spanish capital.
Do you think Ronaldo is Real Madrid’s greatest player of all time?
Sound off in the comments below.
