Cristiano Ronaldo will wear Manchester United’s No7 shirt on his return to Old Trafford. Edinson Cavani had worn 7 but agreed to switch to No21, the number he wears for the Uruguay national team.
Ronaldo wore the No7 in his first stint at the club from 2003 until 2009, when he developed from talented teenager to the best player in the world under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, scoring 118 goals in 292 appearances and winning three Premier Leagues and the Champions League.
Ronaldo inherited the shirt from David Beckham, who took it on from Eric Cantona. Previous United legends to have work No7 include George Best and Bryan Robson. The nostalgic shirt completes Ronaldo’s homecoming narrative, and he is now set to make his second debut for the club next Saturday when Newcastle visit Old Trafford.
“I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to have the number seven shirt again, so I would like to say a huge thank you to Edi for this incredible gesture,” Ronaldo said on United’s Twitter feed.
The 36-year-old scored twice in the dying minutes for Portugal against Republic of Ireland this week to break former Iranian striker Ali Daei’s world record of 109 international goals. His celebration after a 96th-minute winning header, tearing off his shirt, earned him a yellow card and a suspension, meaning he has been released early from international duty.
