The number 7 shirt is usually worn by wingers and second strikers in football, but it has also been worn by some of the most famous forwards to have played the sport.
Traditionally, the number 7 is synonymous with players who love to dribble and run behind the backs of opposition defenses to cross into the penalty area for fellow attackers. However, just like the game, the role of the number 7 has also evolved over time.
Top 10 No. 7 Players in Football History
However, the most skilled player on a team is often given the honor of wearing jersey number 7. Some of the sport’s most legendary players, both active and retired, have worn this jersey for teams over the years.
On that note, let’s take a look at ten of the sport’s greatest players, in no particular order, who have become synonymous with the iconic No. 7 jersey.
#10 Raul
Raul González, better known by his first name, is one of the most famous No. 7 in the history of Real Madrid, but also in football.
Raul, who came through the ranks of Real Madrid, inherited the famous number 7 of Real Madrid in 1995, at the age of 17, succeeding Emilio Butragueno, who left the club.
In a decade and a half of success at the Bernabéu, Raúl scored many goals, 323 to be exact, becoming Real Madrid’s final number 7 all-time club top scorer before being usurped by his successor Cristiano Ronaldo (we’ll come back to him later).
The Spain international was most prolific in the 2000-01 season. His 32 goals in all competitions helped Real Madrid win La Liga and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. Raúl left for Schalke 04 in 2010 after winning six league titles and three UEFA Champions Leagues.
Then the player returned to Madrid as a coach and handed the club its first title in the UEFA Youth League.
#9 Franck Ribery
Franck Ribéry arrived at Bayern Munich in the summer of 2007 and inherited the club’s number 7 shirt from the retirement of Mehmet Scholl.
His arrival at Bavaria did not convince everyone, but Ribéry succeeded in idolizing the Bayern Munich fans by scoring in his second match in the Bundesliga.
Ribéry had great ambitions, but he’s made a good start in Germany. He scored 11 goals and set up another eight as Bayern lifted their cup double, becoming only the second foreigner to win Germany’s Player of the Year award. However, the Frenchman is just getting started.
A year later, he joins Ribéry with Arjen Robben, and the duo – nicknamed Robbery – wreak havoc on the flanks, with Ribéry on the left and Robben on the right. Both wings propelled Bayern Munich into their most dominant period in Germany and abroad.
During his 12 seasons at Bavaria, Ribery suffered numerous injuries, but scored 124 goals and assisted 182 more. He overtook Hasan Salihamidzic to become the club’s most capped foreign player.
Ribéry finished his Bayern spell with 23 trophies – including a record nine in the Bundesliga – etching his name into Bayern’s annals before joining Fiorentina for the 2019-20 season. Then he retired in 2022.
#8 Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan is one of the most decorated players in the history of Liverpool.
During his six seasons at Anfield, from 1971 to 1977, Keegan wore the iconic number 7 shirt for all but one season (1974-75).
Because of his attacking prowess, legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly moved the player from right midfield to a central striker. The change paid off as Keegan scored 90 goals and provided 56 assists in all competitions, helping the English giants win three league titles, as well as several European titles and an FA Cup.
#7 David Beckham
Known for his right wing passing skills and especially his finesse from set pieces, David Beckham is one of the most iconic figures in football history.
Beckham first inherited the number at the age of 21, while at Manchester United, following the departure of Eric Cantona, the previous occupant of the jersey.
The Englishman, who did not wear number 7 during his four years at Real Madrid, scored 127 goals and assisted 202 others during a successful career with six different teams.
Beckham scored 65 free kicks in his nearly two-decade career at club and national level, including 29 for Manchester United and 14 for Real Madrid.
#6 Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona first rose to prominence with Leeds United in the summer of 1992, when he scored nine goals as his side won their first league title in 18 years, beating Manchester United.
Despite his eccentricities, Cantona was instantly endeared to Leeds supporters and inherited the number 7 shirt despite an unconvincing exit with France at Euro 92.
However, with Leeds defending their title and their relationship with the manager crumbling dramatically in their first Premier League season, Manchester United came for Cantona, and there would be no turning back.
Just like at Elland Road, Cantona has become a crowd favorite at Old Trafford, scoring many great goals and winning many titles.
With 61 goals and 81 assists in four and a half seasons with Manchester United, the Frenchman has won four Premier League titles, five Super Cups and two FA Cups.
#5 Luis Figo
Luis Figo made his number 7 jersey at Sporting Lisbon, and then at Barcelona, where he won the championship and the Spanish Cup twice in a row.
Then Figo made a sharp transition to Real Madrid, the great rival of FC Barcelona, \u200b\u200bbut continued to achieve success as “Galactico” in his new club. Although the Portugal international never wore number 7 in Madrid, his 56 goals and 93 assists helped the Bernabeu side win two La Liga titles and the Champions League.
Portugal’s most capped player at the time then moved to Inter, where he was given the number 7 shirt. Figo once again demonstrated his goalscoring and goal-creating skills, as well as his prowess in kicking from set-pieces, and the Nerazzurri won four consecutive league titles, among the national titles other.
#4 Bastian Schweinsteiger
Although Bastian Schweinsteiger never wore the number 7 shirt in his playing career, the German player has become synonymous with the jersey while playing for his country.
Schweinsteiger is not the perfect number 7 who is mainly involved in the attacking third position. The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner does a good deal of the “dirty” work, helping his defense and blocking enemy attacks.
Interestingly, the Germany international wore number 31 during his 13 seasons with Bayern Munich, two with Manchester United and three with the Chicago Bulls in MLS.
#3 George Best
George Best is one of the most legendary players in football history and is considered one of the best players to ever play the sport.
Despite wearing many different shirts during his ten years at Old Trafford, the Northern Irishman has become synonymous with one of the club’s finest players.
Best, who is one of the best players who did not play in a major international tournament such as the European Championship or the World Cup, was known for his dribbling prowess and his ability to run behind defenders.
During his glorious football career, much of which he spent at Manchester United, Best won two league titles and two Super Cups, as well as the FA Cup and the European Champions Clubs Cup (now called the Champions League).
Among Best’s many records is for scoring the most goals for a club in a season as a teenager at Manchester United, a record only equaled by three players over the course of a season. in the next five decades.
#2 Garrincha
Manuel Francisco dos Santos, better known as Garrincha, is arguably one of the best dribblers of all time.
The right winger has been used to pace the wingers and outwit opposing defenders with an impressive array of tricks and feints. In Pelé’s absence, Garrincha played a key role in Brazil’s title defense at the 1962 World Cup, where he was also the tournament’s top scorer and Ballon d’Or winner.
Garrincha, which means “little bird” in Portuguese, spent most of his footballing career with Botafogo, but is best known for his phenomenal partnership with Pele while playing for Brazil.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo may be second only to Garrincha in terms of ball-to-ball skill, but given the player’s excellence and longevity over nearly two decades, he is the undisputed choice for the best #7 in honor of the beautiful game.
The Portugal captain, the only European player to score 100 international goals (and the second player to achieve the feat overall), has never looked back after handing the shirt of Manchester United’s legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, in 2003.
With the exception of two seasons (one with Sporting Lisbon and the other with Real Madrid), Ronaldo has always worn the number 7 shirt during his football career and much of his international career.
The top scorer in the history of Real Madrid and the Champions League, and he is one of the best players in the history of football, was famous for his series of elaborate steps and his skill in dribbling on the left flank in its infancy.
As his career progressed, Ronaldo moved into attacking positions with alarming ease, a development that paid off in terms of goalscoring, but his ability to create goals declined. Then he made a sensational return to Manchester United in the 2021-22 season. It ended on a sour note, however, as he was released from the team after disagreements with the manager. He joined Al-Nasr Saudi Club in December 2022.
