With Raúl's departure from Real Madrid this summer, the famous number seven shirt was available for the first time in a long time and there was only one man who was going to take it.

As Cristiano Ronaldo waves goodbye to his temporary stint as "CR9" and is reunited with his favoured figure, it raises the age old question: 'What's in a number?'

Well, when it comes to football; history, responsibility and superstition are usually the three main factors, particularly in Ronaldo's case.

The Portuguese forward has a very special relationship with the number seven - a digit with which he already has a lot of history ... and combined with his initials, his own copyright. But there is much more to it than marketing when it comes to the lucky number seven for Cristiano.

Curiously, the winger's arrival at Manchester United in 2003 coincided with David Beckham's departure for Real Madrid. Back then Ronaldo wanted the number 28 - which he had played in at Sporting Lisbon - but Alex Ferguson had other ideas and the Scottish coach told his new signing that he would be wearing the number seven. The 18-year-old Ronaldo dared not argue with him, but he fully understood that he was going to be sporting the shirt that Beckham, Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson and George Best all had before him.

"When I first put on the red shirt with number 7, I could have been weighed down by this number after the men who wore it," revealed the winger in an interview with The Sun in 2007.

Of course, we all now know that he he wasn't. He went on to win a string of titles and individual accolades during his time with the Red Devils before becoming the most expensive footballer in history with his move to Madrid in the summer of 2009.

It was another of European football's heavyweights from whom he inherited the same number for his country, Portugal, after World Cup 2006 in Germany. Luis Figo had until then been the Portuguese national side's captain and star player. His retirement from the international scene left Cristiano not only a special shirt number, but also the baton of responsibility too.

Though perhaps it's his latest brush with the lucky number seven that will prove to be the biggest test of all for Cristiano Ronaldo and that's because the figure is so synonymous with his legendary predecessor that there was even talk of the number being retired. But if anyone is worthy of taking on such a heavy burden, it's Ronaldo, and now it's his turn to make his name in it, just like these super sevens of years gone by have before him:

Raymond Kopa
This attacking midfielder formed a part of the legendary Real Madrid of the 1950s, lining up alongside Alfredo Di Stéfano, Rial, Gento and Puskas. Born in France into a family of Polish Immigrants, Kopa came to Madrid in the 1956/57 season after 5 year successful years with Stade de Reims. He became the first French player to win the European Cup in his first season in white when Madrid beat Fiorentina 2-0. Incredibly that win was the first of three consecutive European Cup victories for the whites, the 1959 final victory coming against his former club. Kopa also scooped the Ballon d'Or in 1958.

Amancio
Amancio caught the attention of Real Madrid after playing an important role in Deportivo la Coruna's promotion to the Primera, though had it not been for Santiago Bernabeu himself, his signing may never have come about. The club did not want to pay his hefty signing fee, but it was the legendary president's insistence that ensured they did. Rather like his modern day counterpart, Ronaldo; Amancio was deadly when it came to dribbling. He made his extraordinary skill look so easy that he earned the nickname El Brujo (The Witch). As the stars of the fifties began to age, a drought in silverware followed, but under coach Miguel Munoz, Amancio helped bring the dry patch to an end and the Ye Ye generation of the 1960's was born.

The name came from the Beatles' hit song 'She Loves You' after four of the Madrid team posed in wigs to resemble the famous four for an interview with sports daily Marca. Solid at the back and deadly on the attack, The Ye Ye's took Real Madrid back to the top of the football world when they scooped the sides' 6th European Cup in the 1965/66 season. Amancio got his name on the scoresheet in the 2-1 win over FK Partizan in Heysel Stadium, selling his marker a dummy to allow him to skilfully strike past the Yugoslavs. During his years in white El Brujo won 9 league titles as well as back-to-back Pichichi (league topscorer) titles in 1969 and 1970.

Juanito
If Real Madrid are to go behind in dramatic fashion in any of their games this campaign, especially in a two-legged affair, you can bet you bottom dollar that you will hear the term: "Spirit of Juanito" used. The forward represents the essence of one of Real Madrid's most important values-their 'never say die' attitude; after he played an instrumental role in helping Madrid mount famous comebacks against the likes of Celtic FC, Inter Milan and RSC Anderlecht.

Despite also possessing mouthwatering dribbling skills, it was his spirit and temperament that defined Juanito, and the support of the fans that proved to be his greatest source of strength. He came to the club in 1977 and quickly became a prominent member of the Madrid of the late seventies and early-to-mid eighties, playing with the likes of Uli Steilike and Vicente del Bosque. He proved important in the side's five consecutive league title wins and two UEFA Cups. He was also named Pichichi in 1984. Tragically, Juanito's life came to an untimely end in 1992 when the 37-year-old was involved in a car accident on his way back from watching a UEFA Cup game between Real Madrid and FC Torino. His fiery temperament may have seen to a number of suspensions from the game during his career, but his legend lives on in Madrid. In fact in the seventh minute of every home game, you will hear the Ultras sing his name.

Emilio Butragueño Santos
Emilio Butragueno played alongside Juanito before inheriting his number seven shirt when the forward left for Malaga in 1987. El Buitre (The Vulture) was a stunningly skilful striker and the leader of the famous 'Quinta del Buitre', which Manolo Sanchis, Martin Vazquez, Michel and Miguel Pardeza completed. Buitre's performances brought Madrid back to life after some patchy form in the early eighties. He won the Pichichi in 1991, and was a key component in the aforementioned five consecutive league titles and two UEFA Cup wins of the eighties. He also assisted his side in two Copa del Rey wins and won the European Bronze award for best footballer for two years running. But Buitre was to make way for the club's most famous number seven yet when in 1995 a 17-year-old striker came through the ranks; his name was Raúl.

Raúl Gonzalez Blanco
This man needs no introduction. Raúl surpassed Alfredo Di Stéfano's record as the club's all time top scorer last year - a remarkable achievement for a man barely older than 30. The three-times Champions League winner and tournament's all time top scorer boasts the same accolade for the Spanish national side too. To say he's a hard act to follow would be something of an understatement.

But Cristiano Ronaldo lives in no man's shadow and now it's up to him to make his own history for the whites in the fabled figure.

By tradition the number seven is worn by a winger and under Mourinho, this is the position we can expect to see the star playing in this season - after spending most of the last campaign upfront alongside Gonzalo Higuain.

It's one of a number of changes the Portuguese coach has brought in since his arrival in Madrid, in what is a brand new dawn for the capital club.

The sun has now set on CR9's brief phase, would the legend of CR7 be ready to rise amongst the men who served Real Madrid before him?

---

Kay Murray is a correspondent with Real Madrid TV. You can reach Kay here at BTP or follow her on Twitter.

Follow @KayLMurray

blog comments powered by Disqus