How Cristiano Ronaldo Got Back His Number 7 Jersey

It's official. Cristiano Ronaldo will be wearing the iconic number 7 jersey as he makes his Premier League return with Manchester United. The announcement was officially made by the English club. The Portuguese maestro will take the number 7 shirt from Uruguayan striker Edison Cavani, who'll wear number 21, the same number that he wears for the national team. But getting his legendary jersey number back was anything but simple for Ronaldo, as a Premier League rule stood in the way of the fairytale reunion. The rule stated that a shirt number cannot be changed once the season has already begun, and to make this happen, United had to get special dispensation from the Premier League board, something which has never been granted before. But Ronaldo has always been a trailblazer, and after much deliberation, the board eventually had to relent. To quote Rafiki from The Lion King, the king has returned. The official statement from United read, Manchester United can confirm Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the iconic number 7 shirt after returning to Old Trafford. The Portuguese superstar famously wore the legendary shirt number during his first spell at United. And we can now confirm that Ronaldo will have it on his back once again. In his first six seasons at the club, between 2003 and 2009, Ronaldo made 292 appearances and scored 118 goals, winning nine trophies including three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League. The Laws of the Game The Section M player's identification and strip of the Premier League Handbook for the 2021-2022 season reads, Before the commencement of each season, each club shall allocate a different shirt number to each member of its first-team squad. While he remains with the club, a player will retain his shirt number throughout the season, for which it was allocated. While Section M5 states, Upon a player leaving a club, the shirt number allocated to him may be reallocated. In Spain, players are allowed to change numbers during the mid-season break. The rule is far more stringent in the Premier League, which instantly marks Ronaldo's jersey number reveal as an iconic moment. Daniel James Transfer The transfer that made it easier for Ronaldo to regain his old favourite jersey number was Daniel James' £25m move to Leeds United, thereby vacating the number 21 jersey, which Cavani ended up taking. And, as a cascading effect, the iconic number 7 came back to Manchester United's prodigal son. Ronaldo expressed his gratitude that the Uruguayan centre-forward gave up the shirt number for him, by sending him a message saying, I wasn't sure if it was possible to have the number 7 shirt again. I would like to say a huge thank you to Eddie for this incredible gesture. CR7 The man, the myth, the legend. Ronaldo has become so synonymous with the number 7 that it is hard to picture anyone else wearing it. So it's very easy to forget that when he initially joined Manchester United, he preferred the number 28, the number he wore for Sporting Lisbon. It was Sir Alex Ferguson behind changing his jersey number to the iconic United number 7, previously worn by the likes of David Beckham, George Best and Eric Cantona. The Portuguese superstar revealed this at an event back in 2017, where he said that Ferguson told him, look, I want you to wear the number 7 shirt. I was surprised, because I knew of all the great players who wore that jersey, Ronaldo said, adding, it was the start of a successful stage in my 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. After that conversation with Sir Alex, there was no looking back for Ronaldo, and till date, he is the last Manchester United number 7 to have left behind such an extensive legacy, unmatched by anyone who has had to follow in his footsteps. And as the dust settles on a whirlwind transfer saga, where he came back to a spiritual home after a lengthy absence of 12 years, he looks to pick up exactly from where he left off.