‘The Curse’ of the No.7 Jersey, List of players to don #7 since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United in 2009
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Some of the greatest players in the world wore the number 7 jersey in Manchester United. After Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in 2009, six players have been given the number 7 shirt but none of them has lived up to the expectation of their predecessors.
All the six players who have been given the number 7 have scored a combine of 25 goals for Manchester United in the Premier League, while Ronaldo alone in his last season for the Red Devils scored 18 goals in 33 caps.
However the newest number 7, Edinson Cavani is expected to have the talent and ability to live up to the expectation that the shirt brings. Let us look at the players who have donned the number 7 Jersey after Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United.
1. Michael Owen
Sir Alex Ferguson signed Michael Owen in 2009 after Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez both left the club. The former Liverpool star was at the twilight of his career when he joined Manchester United and took on the No.7 Jersey.
Michael Owen failed to keep up with the expectation that the number 7 at the back of the jersey brings to one’s shoulder. In his three years at United, he played 31 premier league matches and scored 5 goals before he left the club in 2012.
Although Owen was not able to provide a world-class performance in Manchester United, he did leave the club with one of the greatest moment for the Red Devils, the 96th minute winner against Manchester City in 2009.
Michael Owen won his first Premier League title with Manchester United after playing 14 seasons in the EPL. “If you can’t beat’em, join’em,” Michael Owen said.
2. Antonio Valencia
Antonio Valencia or the man who was known as ‘Mr. Consistent’ was one of the many players who Ferguson relied on completely. He joined the club in 2009 and became a fan favorite due to his unimaginable work ethic.
Valencia won the club’s player of the year in the 2011/12 campaign due to his excellent performance, after which he was given the number 7 jersey. But he gave up the No. 7 jersey and took on his No.25 jersey back the very next year.
Valencia scored only one goal in his 30 premier league games in 2012/13. He said the fans have great expectations from the player who wears a No.7 jersey but he had a bad performance wearing it, so he decided to take on in his previous No.25 with which he had a great fortune run in Manchester United.
“It was more to do with the fact that 25 was the number I had when I first came to the club and I played well wearing that, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I go back to 25?’ I had good times and good fortune in that shirt,” Antonio Valencia said.
3. Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria was signed from Real Madrid in 2014 under the management of Louis Van Gall. Di Maria turned out to be the greatest disappointment and failed to deliver some heavyweight and consistent performance for the Red Devils.
Manchester United signed some big names under Louis Van Gall, all of them turned out to be a disappointment. Angel Di Maria being handed the No.7 shirt in Manchester United, had a great run in his first few weeks but then slowly things went downhill.
Di Maria had a bad run during his time with Manchester United and showed no intention to stay and continue at the club. In 2015 he moved to PSG for 44.3 million pounds.
“I only stayed one year. It wasn’t the best period of my career, or they didn’t let me have my best time there. There were problems with the coach at the time. But thanks to God, I was able to come to PSG and be myself again,” Di Maria said in an interview with Franc Bleu.
4. Memphis Depay
After the departure of Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay, the young talent was given the no.7 jersey. Depay was an exceptional talent, he had good skill and pace with the ball on his feet. He has a very good eye for providing some key passes and putting the ball behind the net.
Depay was the fourth player after Cristiano to wear the No.7 in Manchester United and the same result came as the others, he failed to deliver consistent performance with the club. He had raw talent and his true self failed to come out in the Red Devils.
Memphis Depay scored two goals in the Premier League for Manchester United before he left the club in 2017 for the French club Lyon. Depay showed his true skill, ability, and talent with the ball and proved his worth in Olympique Lyon.
5. Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez was one of the biggest failures to represent the Manchester United no.7 shirt. The United fans called Sanchez as United’s biggest nightmare. His performance for the Red Devils was not at par with the boat load off Salary that he earned.
He earned a salary of about 400,000 pounds per week in Manchester United. The Chilean international was signed at that time because of exceptional performance for Chile National Team. But Sanchez turned out to be the mirror image of what he displayed for his Nation.
He scored 5 goals in his 45 appearances for Manchester United before he was sold to Inter Milan, where the Red Devils opted to pay him off.
6. Edinson Cavani
Edinson Cavani was signed by Manchester United from PSG in 2020. Cavani is the only player who has scored goals in double figures in the Premier League wearing the No.7 jersey after Ronaldo’s departure in 2009.
Cavani has faced his fair share of injuries in United but when he is fit, he has not failed to impress the fans with his dominating and eye-catching performance. He has scored 10 goals in 26 appearances in the premier league for Manchester United.
There were reports which spread the rumour that he will be leaving the club this season to move to Boca Juniors but Solskjaer made it clear by saying, “There’s no secret we want to keep him.” Now it is to be seen that if Cavani gives up his No.7 shirt for Cristiano Ronaldo or not.
Also Read : “He’s home” Twitter Reacts as Manchester United signs Cristiano Ronaldo
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Raunak Bose
(485 Articles Published)