“Number seven: More than just a shirt” – the advertising slogan of Manchester United already clarifies the status of jersey number 7 in the club.
After the inglorious Cristiano Ronaldo exit last winter the supporters of the Red Devils had to do without a player with the 7 for the time being. This is now changing six months later with the commitment of Mason Mount.
However, the number recently turned out to be a bad omen: After the glorious time around the turn of the millennium, the number brought bad luck to the wearers.
SPORT1 looks at United’s wearer of the number 7 from the 1995/96 season – since then there have been fixed shirt numbers in the Premier League.
Eric Cantona (1995 bis 1997)
Eric Cantona is not only remembered in Manchester for his footballing class, the Frenchman is considered an enfant terrible. One scene made this fact particularly clear: After a Crystal Palace fan had racially insulted him, he jumped in the upper body with his leg stretched out. However, the Red Devils supporters did not take offense at his performances and even voted him the club’s player of the 20th century. Overall, “King Cantona”, who surprisingly ended his career in 1997, celebrated five English championship titles with ManUnited.
David Beckham (1997 to 2003)
So the footsteps were very big for his successor David Beckham. But he withstood the pressure and played a key role in the first triple – consisting of Champions League, FA Cup and championship – in English football history (1999). Beckham played a total of 394 games for the Red Devils, scoring 85 times and assisting 120 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo (2003 bis 2009)
Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t want to follow Beckham after his move from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester. Although the Portuguese wanted the 28, Alex Ferguson gave the then 18-year-old the 7. A decision that should not diminish the glamor of this number – on the contrary: CR7 became a global brand. In his early days with the Red Devils, he scored 118 goals in 292 games. Just before switching to Real Madrid the superstar won his first Ballon d’Or in 2008.
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After Cristiano Ronaldo, the curse begins
Michael Owen (2009 to 2012)
Ronaldo’s successor was a newcomer in Michael Owen. The former Liverpool rising star arrived from Newcastle in 2009 but failed to live up to expectations. In his three years at ManUnited, the attacker completed only 52 games in which he scored 17 goals. His last season at Old Trafford in particular showed that the 7 under him was losing luster. Owen made just one more Premier League appearance and the club allowed his contract to expire.
Antonio Valencia (2012 to 2013)
Antonio Valencia had already switched from Wigan to Manchester United in 2009 and was to inherit Ronaldo on the flank. He caused problems for the defenders with his speed and contributed 20 points in his debut season in Manchester. With 14 assists in the 2011/12 Premier League season, the Ecuadorian ultimately earned the 7. However, according to his own statement, the number proved to be too much pressure, so that he returned to 25 after one season. The now 37-year-old remained loyal to the Red Devils until 2019 and even led the team onto the pitch as captain in his new position as right-back.
Angel of the Mary (2014 to 2015)
After di Maria’s strong World Cup, Manchester United transferred €75m to Real Madrid for the Argentine. But the winger was never really comfortable in Manchester – and that was down to coach Louis van Gaal. “My problem at Manchester was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst of my career,” the reigning world champion 2021 looked back on his time in an interview with TyC Sports England return. Therefore, the now 35-year-old “escaped” to Paris Saint-Germain after just one year.
Memphis Depay (2015 bis 2017)
As early as 2014, van Gaal wanted to guide his former protégé from the Dutch national team to Manchester. However, Memphis Depay stayed at PSV Eindhoven for another year and only switched to United in 2015. But the then 21-year-old was unable to give the historic shirt number a new shine. “I was also one of those people who expected more from my time at United,” Depay told UEFA.com in 2020. The Dutchman only scored seven times in his 53 games. Since he was not one of the regular players, the offensive player switched to Lyon after two years.
Alexis Sánchez (2018 to 2020)
After a year without a wearer, the significant number adorned Alexis Sánchez’ jersey from 2018. But at his time Arsenal, where he contributed 125 points in 166, the Chilean never followed up. Due to his lavish salary (probably 16 million euros net per year), the attacker was one of the most costly misunderstandings in the club’s history. Because he only played 45 games (five goals) for the Red Devils.
Edinson Cavani (2020 bis 2021)
In October ManUnited signed Edinson Cavani without a club at the time and gave him the number 7. Many critics only saw the attacker, who came with a recommendation of 200 goals for PSG, as an obsolete model. But his performances in the first year silenced his critics a little. He scored 17 goals Uruguay in 39 games. Although he subsequently extended his contract for another year, he gave up the 7 out of respect.
Cristiano Ronaldo (2021 bis 2022)
Cavani announced this decision to returnee Cristiano Ronaldo, who took over the 7, himself on the phone. There was great hope that with the veteran a player would finally do justice to the important number. In his first season after his return, he partially lived up to expectations, scoring 24 times in 38 games. But things changed for Ronaldo after the sacking of coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Under Erik ten Hag, who took charge from United in the summer of 2022, he was no longer part of the regular staff. He showed his frustration again and again in public. Ultimately, CR7 ensured a mutual termination of the contract, among other things, through an extremely critical interview with the controversial moderator Piers Morgan.
2023-07-07 19:48:14
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