Soccer greats Eric Cantona, George Best, and Garrincha, to mention a few, have worn the No. 7 jersey over the years. Although they are all remembered, none are as closely associated with the legendary number as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Adoring followers frequently address the Portuguese celebrity as CR7, which is currently nothing less than a worldwide megabrand. It’s interesting to note that Cristiano Ronaldo also owns the CR7 trademark and uses it to operate a high-end menswear company.
However, before the Number 7 jersey, Ronaldo was associated with several different jersey numbers that led to him wearing the number 7 in the future, let us take a look at the different jersey numbers worn by Ronaldo apart from number 7 in his career.
1. Sporting Lisbon: Jersey number 28
When Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut at Sporting Lisbon in 2002 as a young player, he was assigned the number 28 as his first shirt. Soccer fans will always remember this as one of the iconic numbers in his illustrious career.
Also, Manchester United youngster Facundo Pellistiri spoke about wearing the number 28 jersey. He said, “Later I realized that this number was the number in which Ronaldo made his debut, because of that this number became very special to me.”
🚨Pellistri:
wearing number 28 for United?
“Later I realized that this number was the number in which Ronaldo made his debut, because of that this number became very special to me.” pic.twitter.com/2MXi0mGDy3
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) December 21, 2023
In reality, on August 6, 2003, Ronaldo represented Sporting Lisbon in a pre-season friendly against Manchester United wearing jersey number 28. The purpose of the friendly match was to commemorate the opening of Sporting’s new and current home stadium, Estadio Jose Alvalade.
2. Portugal: Jersey Number 17
August 2003 saw Ronaldo make his senior international debut against Kazakhstan, replacing Luis Figo at halftime. At the time, the 18-year-old was wearing the No. 17 shirt, while Figo—who was already a Portuguese legend—was wearing the No. 7.
Cristiano Ronaldo entered football history a little more by surpassing the 100 goal mark for the national team.
17 years of exceptional goals under the jersey of the Portugal. pic.twitter.com/fMzubPm2e3
— Wammad (@CRFutbol_) September 21, 2020
Before establishing a claim to the Portugal No. 7 jersey full-time, Cristiano Ronaldo had to wait a few more years, until Figo’s retirement in 2006, to don the No. 7 shirt for the senior Portuguese soccer squad during the 2004 Summer Olympics.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo had to wait to get his iconic number 7 at Real Madrid
One of the greatest players in the world, Ronaldo transferred to his childhood dream club, Real Madrid, in 2009. Despite his fame, Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to wear the No. 7 jersey after joining Real Madrid because Raul Gonzalez, a cult icon at the Santiago Bernabeu and a true Madrid boy, owned it at the time.
— Cristiano Ronaldo Fans (@CRonaldoLive) August 25, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo was instead told to wear the number 9 jersey which he willingly wore without any hassle. However, Raul—also affectionately known as El Capitan—would eventually part ways with his childhood club the following year 2010, allowing Ronaldo to reclaim his prized No. 7 jersey. Raul had captained both Real and the Spanish national team for years.
This was the soccer star’s jersey evolution to the iconic number 7 that he currently wears. He is regarded as one of the best soccer players to grace this sport with having a brand of CR7 recognized worldwide. He will always be considered as the best and talked about for years to come by soccer fans around the world