For some Jersey Number 7 is just a number, however, for some people it is an emotion. From David Beckham, Luis Figo, Eric Cantona to MS Dhoni, the jersey number 7 has been associated with some of the greatest legends of the sports world.
However, no one made this jersey their own and more popular than the superstar of football – Cristiano Ronaldo. But not many are aware of the fact that Ronaldo used to wear a different jersey number when he first started to play this game.
Yes, you read that right. Ronaldo, who hails from the small city of Maderia made the jersey number 7 more popular when he first signed for Manchester United from his childhood club Sporting Lisbon. Interestingly, before Ronaldo started playing for Red Devils and started wearing the number 7 jersey for the first time in his life, the number belonged to none other than David Beckham.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s original jersey number was 28, which he used to wear at Sporting Lisbon.
How Cristiano Ronaldo Became CR7:
The 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who used to play for the Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, was not very famous in the world of football back then.
Next came a friendly football match against Manchester United, one of the top teams in Europe at the time, led by the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Though Manchester United were a dominant force, Ronaldo made a lasting impression on the game, as well as on their manager and players.
Sir Alex Ferguson on signing Ronaldo:
When asked about the signing, Ferguson said, “He is an extremely talented footballer, a two-footed attacker who can play anywhere up front – right, left or through the middle.”
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“After we played Sporting last week, the lads in the dressing room talked about him constantly, and on the plane back from the game they urged me to sign him. That’s how highly they rated him,” he added.
A week later after the signing, Ronaldo was at Old Trafford to finalize his move to Manchester United. But how did he end up with Beckham’s jersey? When I said luck played a big role, I wasn’t kidding.
That same year, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United were all competing to sign Brazilian star Ronaldinho from French club Paris Saint-Germain.
In the end, Barcelona successfully brought Ronaldinho to Camp Nou, Real Madrid added David Beckham to their Galactico squad, and Manchester United missed out.
Ronaldo On Wearing Jersey Number 7:
“I was petrified,” Ronaldo said later, admitting that there was big pressure on him after wearing the No. 7 shirt. “I knew Beckham wore that shirt. But I took on the challenge and since then it has been my lucky number.”
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With Beckham gone, Ferguson decided to take a chance on a young talent instead of signing an already established star. He brought Ronaldo to Old Trafford for just over £12 million. Ferguson was so confident in his choice that he gave Ronaldo the iconic number 7 jersey, previously worn by Beckham.
The move proved to be a success, as Ronaldo scored 118 goals wearing the iconic number 7 jersey and left Manchester United as a club legend, joining Real Madrid for a then-world record fee of £80 million.
At Real Madrid, his performance was just as remarkable, scoring 450 goals in 438 games. After winning his first Ballon d’Or at Manchester United in 2008, Ronaldo went on to win four more during his time at Real Madrid.
CR7 is now the best sporting brand in the world.
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