United's Greatest #7

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

Manchester United has been in great love with the number 7 shirt. United have produced some greatest players like Sir Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and many more. But all of them have not wore the No.7 shirt. But some players from United have been blessed of getting the No.7 shirt or in other words these legends made No.7 a precious number. Let's have a look at the 5 famous players from United who have wore the No.7 jersey.

1. George Best

Best was known as "the fifth Beatle" because of his long hair

In the early '60s, Manchester United scout Bob Bishop discovered George Best who was just 15 and he immediately sent a telegram to Sir Matt Busby stating that  "I think I've found you a genius." Yes, he did. Best made his debut at the age of 17 against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford. Best scored 137 goals out of 361 appearances making him the third best player in United's history.

Best played at United when shirt numbers were assigned to positions, in the traditional English way, and not the player. When Best played at right wing, as he famously did during the later stages of the 1966 and 1968 European Cups, he donned the number 7. Then started the No.7 magic from Best and still goes on...

2. Bryan Robson

Bryan Robson is the current global ambassador for Manchester United

Robson moved to United with a record breaking transfer fee of £1.5 million on 1 October 1981 from West Bromwich Albion which he maintained for 6 years. He played as a red-devil for the first time against Spurs just 6 days after his signing in which United lost 1-0.  He was given the captain's arm band in 1984 which he took with passion.

Known as the captain Marvel, he served as the longest serving captain ever for United. He was the first non-winger to wear the no.7 shirt and he wore it more number of times than anybody else. Robo served United with distinction for more than thirteen glorious years. He was a captain, leader and a legend.

3. Eric Cantona

"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea." - Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona made his first appearance for Manchester United in a friendly match against Benfica wearing No.10 shirt. Evenethough he played just 5 years for United, he achieved everything that is possible. In Cantona's first season at Old Trafford, United won the inaugural Premier League by 10 points – winning the title for the first time since 1967. In doing so, he became the first player to win back-to-back English top division titles with different clubs.

King Eric Cantona was issued with the number 7 shirt during the 1993-94 season which he kept forever with him. He was the most controversial player to wear the No.7 jersey because of his Kung-Fu kick against a Crystal Palace fan which caused him a nine month suspension. He was a player who made United fans believe that with Cantona in their side, nothing could go wrong. Cantona was just a class apart.

2. David Beckham

In 1999, David and Victoria Beckham purchased their most famous home in Hertfordshire, unofficially dubbed Beckingham Palace, estimated to be worth £7.5 million.

One of the best players, United had ever produced, Beckham had been a popular face in the world of football from England to USA. Beckham started his career in 1993 against Brighton & Hove Albion. He was one of the most distinguished sports personalities at that time and even now.  Beckham's popularity made United fetch fans from every corner of the world.

Becks wore the number 10 shirt when he first joined which was previously worn by Mark Hughes. On 18 May 1997, Eric Cantona retired and the fans said the no.7 jersey should also retire along with the king. But the famous jersey was passed on and it came to David Beckham after Cantona's retirement in the 1997-98 season.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

"After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour." - Ronaldo

When he was brought to the Theatre of Dreams, he was the first Portuguese to play for United. Ronaldo made his debut against Bolton Wanderers in a 4-0 victory. He scored the 1000th Premier league goal on 29th October of 2005 against Middlesbrough. Ronaldo won his first league title for Manchester United in the 2006-07 season when he broke the 20 goal barrier.

He requested the number 28 which he wore in Sporting CP, as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by  players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. But he was given the very famous No.7 jersey by Sir Alex Ferguson which motivated him immensely to break as many records possible and fetched himself the famous name CR7.