Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest football players of all time, is known for his exceptional skills, speed, and goal-scoring abilities. Throughout his career, he has played for various clubs and national teams, wearing different jersey numbers. One of the most popular debates among football fans is whether Ronaldo ever wore the number 9 jersey or not.
To answer this question, we need to go back to his early days as a professional football player. Ronaldo began his career in 2002 with Sporting CP, a Portuguese football club. He wore the number 28 jersey during his time at Sporting CP, where he quickly caught the attention of scouts from major European clubs.
In 2003, Ronaldo signed with Manchester United, one of the most successful clubs in English football history. Initially, he was given the number 7 jersey, which had been previously worn by legends like George Best, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. However, in his second season with Manchester United, Ronaldo switched to the number 9 jersey.
Ronaldo’s decision to wear the number 9 came after the departure of Danish striker, Jesper Blomqvist, who previously wore the jersey. Ronaldo’s choice of number 9 was not coincidental, as he saw it as a symbol of the responsibility he felt towards his team.
During the 2004-05 season, Ronaldo scored three goals wearing the number 9 jersey, including his first hattrick for Manchester United against Newcastle United. However, he did not continue wearing the jersey number for long, as he switched back to number 7 for the 2005-06 season and continued wearing it throughout his time at Manchester United.
After six successful seasons with Manchester United, Ronaldo signed with Real Madrid in 2009 for a then-world record fee of £80 million. At Real Madrid, Ronaldo initially wore the number 9 jersey during his first season with the club, as the number 7 was already assigned to Raul. However, after Raul’s departure in 2010, Ronaldo switched back to his favorite number 7, which he continued to wear until he left the club in 2018.
During his career, Ronaldo has also worn the number 17 jersey for the Portuguese national team and the number 28 jersey for Juventus. While he has had success wearing different jersey numbers, Ronaldo is best known for his iconic number 7, which has become synonymous with his name and his legendary status in the world of football.
In conclusion, although Ronaldo has worn multiple jersey numbers throughout his career, he did wear the number 9 jersey during his time at Manchester United and Real Madrid. However, he is most famous for his number 7 jersey, which he has worn and made his own for the majority of his successful career.
