Cristiano Ronaldo to wear Manchester United’s iconic No.7 shirt again

By AFP

LONDON: Cristiano Ronaldo will wear Manchester United’s iconic number seven again after Edinson Cavani agreed to surrender the shirt.

Ronaldo followed in a long list of United legends to have worn number seven during his first spell with United from 2003 to 2009.

The 36-year-old rejoined United from Juventus last week, but Cavani had the number seven at the start of this season, raising the possibility of Ronaldo having to don a different shirt.

But Cavani has agreed to swap to 21 — the number the veteran striker wears for Uruguay — so Ronaldo can reclaim his old jersey. 

It had been reported a club would needed special dispensation from the Premier League to process the switch following the start of the domestic campaign.

“Manchester United can confirm that Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the iconic no.7 shirt after returning to Old Trafford,” the club said on their website.

In his first stint with United after signing from Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo scored 118 goals and won nine trophies, including three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League.

Ronaldo, who left United for Real Madrid 12 years ago, is set to make his second debut in the Premier League match against Newcastle on September 11.

George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham are among the other United stars to have worn the famous number seven.

On Wednesday, Ronaldo broke the men’s international scoring record with a late double as Portugal came from behind to beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1.