Before receiving Manchester United’s famous number 7 shirt, Cristiano Ronaldo requested number 28. It was the number he had worn at Sporting CP, and he preferred to avoid the pressure associated with United’s celebrated number 7.
The shirt had previously been worn by iconic players including George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson instead gave the number 7 to the teenage Portuguese winger, turning a cautious request into one of football’s most recognizable shirt-number stories.
Ronaldo initially viewed the number 7 as a heavy responsibility, but he later described it as an extra source of motivation. At United, the shirt became closely linked with his transformation into a global superstar.
The number 28 is therefore not Ronaldo’s most famous United number, nor the number he ultimately wore there. It was the number he asked for before Ferguson assigned him number 7.