Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in football history and the jersey number 7 is renowned by his name. He’s the top scorer in football history. Before Cristiano’s arrival the records were shared by a number of football players but today, almost all the records belong to just one man, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Before Cristiano announced himself to the football World, the all time Top Scorer was Pele, the Champions League Top scorer was Raul, the International Football top scorer was Ali Daei, the European Championships Top Scorer was Michel Platini and the Club World Cup Top scorer was Delgado. However, since Cristiano’s arrival, the all time Top Scorer is Cristiano Ronaldo, the Champions League Top Scorer is Cristiano Ronaldo, the International Football Top Scorer is Cristiano Ronaldo, the European Championship Top Scorer is Cristiano Ronaldo and the Club World Cup Top Scorer is also Cristiano Ronaldo. Insane domination.
Cristiano Ronaldo started his career in Sporting Club de Portugal and then he made a big move to Manchester United in 2003. Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt number at Sporting was 28 and it was expected that he would wear the same number at Manchester United. However, much to the surprise of everybody, Cristiano Ronaldo was given the famous number 7 jersey which was previously worn by club legends like David Beckham, George Best and Eric Cantona.
Cristiano Ronaldo explains how Sir Alex Ferguson convinced him to take the number 7 jersey:
“When I moved to Manchester United, I originally wanted to wear number 28 but Sir Alex Ferguson told me to wear number 7. A number that is so sacred, was used by great players.”
“I told Sir Alex that boss that’s a huge responsibility, I cannot take it at this moment. But Sir Alex told me one day this shirt number will be known by your name.”
“It was the start of my successful stage in football. I did not only improve my football skills, but also my physique. In my five years there, I learned the art of football. We won many things together. It was a dream for me.”