MX23RW : Monday, May 6 22:59:54| >> :60:1251:1251:

Cristiano Ronaldo forced to abandon iconic number seven shirt at Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo forced to abandon iconic number seven shirt at Man United
© Reuters
Sports Mole looks at the shirt numbers available to Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United following his sensational return to Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be forced to inherit an unfamiliar shirt number when he officially arrives at Manchester United.

The Red Devils confirmed on Friday that they have agreed a blockbuster return for the 36-year-old following a whirlwind round of transfer negotiations during which they muscled Manchester City out of the running.

Ronaldo will join up with his new teammates after the international break and could make his second debut for the club against Newcastle United on September 11.

However, the five-time Ballon d'Or will be unable to wear the iconic number seven shirt upon his return, with Edinson Cavani currently in ownership of it.

Ronaldo has built his CR7 brand around the shirt number, which he first wore after joining Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon for his first spell in 2003.

With the exception of one season as Real Madrid's number nine, Ronaldo has since worn the number seven shirt in every season of his career, and his time with it at Old Trafford helped to enhance the legend of a jersey previously adorned by George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.

The number nine is also currently occupied by Anthony Martial, leaving the number 12 shirt as the lowest available to Ronaldo.

Numbers 15 and 24 are also up for grabs, although Ronaldo could instead look to take the number 28, which he wore at Sporting before joining Man United.

Indeed, Ronaldo revealed upon joining United in 2003 that he had asked for the number 28 shirt, only for Sir Alex Ferguson to give him the '7' recently vacated by Beckham.

Beckham is also the highest-profile previous occupant of the '28', which has also been worn by Phil Neville, Gerard Pique and Morgan Schneiderlin at Old Trafford.

ID:461198:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect3258:
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Jadon Sancho in action for England in September 2020
Read Next:
Shirt numbers available to Jadon Sancho at Manchester United
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal36265588286083
2Manchester CityMan City35257387335482
3Liverpool36239481384378
4Aston Villa36207973532067
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs351861169581160
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle351751378562256
7Chelsea351591170591154
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd35166135255-354
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham361310135670-1449
10Bournemouth36139145263-1148
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton351211125357-447
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves36137164960-1146
13Fulham36128165155-444
14Crystal Palace361110154957-843
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3699185260-836
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3689194563-1829
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3659223974-3524
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd36372635100-6516


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!