United's best Number 7.

Cristiano Ronaldo - United’s number 7 and best footballer in the world.

In December he is likely to be crowned as the latter after occupying the Number 7 shirt for five years. As a professional footballer if you are wearing a red Manchester United shirt with a white number 7 on the back then you are at the top of your game. Ronaldo certainly is and has been for the past two seasons.
 
Number 7 at Manchester United is synonymous with being one of the top players. There is a certain affinity with the number as it has been worn by some of United greatest players. Similarly at Arsenal this season Walcott was handed Henry’s old 14 shirt – a signal of intent from Wenger and a challenge for Walcott to fulfil his potential. 

After the exploits of Ronaldo in the last two seasons and the impact he has had since his return, I ask, is he our best ever Number 7? Fans of Best, Robson, Cantona and Beckham may disagree.

The candidates:

The trend setter - Georgie Best.
 
The first of the great number 7s and probably the Best. Given my age I cannot pretend to be an expert on Best. Having never seen the great man play, I can only go off what I have seen or heard about what he did best (despite his other talents, I mean on the pitch). His talent was perhaps unparalleled at the time and unsurpassed since. With his devastating ability to dribble, create, shoot and score he formed arguably the greatest forward three of all time.
 
After Best passed away, Pele left a signed football as a tribute. The message says it all: ‘from the second best player in the world’.
 
Captain Marvel – Bryan Robson.
 
Fast forward a couple of decades and Robbo fills the sizeable shirt. The midfield general was immense, United’s longest serving captain he certainly suited the Number 7. Countless performances of Gerrard-esque stature (single handedly dragging the team to victory); it took another legend Roy Keane to fill his boots in the midfield battle ground.
 
The King – Eric Cantona.
 
If every United fan was asked to name their favourite United player ever, I am sure a significant number would pick Eric Cantona. On the pitch he was the inspiration behind United becoming the force in British football since the mid 90s, quite simply, he owned Old Trafford
 
Cantona ushered in the new era at Old Trafford. His style, stature and confidence helped the likes of Scholes, Beckham, Neville and co. to develop into United legends in their own right. Described by Emlyn Hughes at the time as a panic buy, Cantona is the player United fans remember with fondest memories.
 
He made the Number 7 shirt his own - his genius, impact and upturned collar made sure of that.

Goldenballs – David Beckham.
 
The most famous of Fergie’s fledglings, Beckham was given the number 7 left vacant after Cantona retired. After scoring that goal against Wimbledon, Beckham went on to amass an impressive haul for a player with no speed, no dribbling ability and no left foot.
 
His devastating pinpoint delivery saw Fergie (Britain’s finest striker of a boot) label him Britain’s finest striker of a football. Beckham left after 265 Premiership appearances as a treble winner and runner up for FIFA World footballer and European footballer of the year in 1999 and a United legend.
 
 
Young Pretender -   Cristiano ’Rocket’ Ronaldo
 
I remember seeing Ronaldo on Sky Sports News stepping out of a black car sporting a single yellow streak in his floppy hair. What the hell is this guy doing here instead of Beckham I thought? Rumour has it that Ronaldo asked for the number 28 shirt upon arrival. Fergie insisted however that this Portuguese starlet would carry the heavy number 7.
 
Five years on and John Cruyff claims Ronaldo is better than George Best and Dennis Law were – praise indeed. Ronaldo is without doubt the best player in the world. The difference he has had on United has been phenomenal and he is possibly the most influential player Fergie has ever had at his disposal.
   
The problem which United fans now face, which I am sure will come as no surprise, is that Ronaldo, like his predecessors Beckham, Best and Robson, will inevitably not finish his career at United .
 
So who next? When Ronaldo leaves who will be worthy of filling the Number 7 shirt?
 
Rooney? Berbatov? Messi? I wish.
 
Also, will he leave being the best number 7 we ever had?

Craig Malpas

Comments

[Will Teasdale]

At which point has Messi ever worn a no.7 shirt for Man United? End product is the factor, and Ronaldo has it covered over Messi. Read the article, Its a United debate......

[Neill C]

all messi does is skin people- (every single time) ronaldo is the complete package- free kicks, headers, everything

[chrismc]

Not even the best player in Manchester. Allowed to flourish at a club where he can dive and cheat with impunity and enjoy the advantages of playing in a team which will get 95% of decisions.

[KNKNK]

RONALDO IS AN AMAZING PLAYER HES QUICK AND A GOOD DRIBBLER LIKE MOST OF THE BEST WINGERS ,HE HAS A GOOD SHOT WITH BOTH FEET.WHAT SETS HIM A PART FROM MOST TRICKY WINGERS IS THAT HES BUILT LIKE A TARGET MAN CENTRE FORWARD , AND HE HAS THE BRAINS TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT . WITH ALL THAT SAID HAVE YOU SEEN MESSI PLAY???? I STILL WOULD RATHER HAVE MESSI HES STYLE IS CUT FROM THE TRUE CLOTH OF LEGENDS

[Visti]

Not even the greatest actor ! Only the men in black haven't caught on to his diving...maybe a potential olympic participant off the 10m board.. send him off to the US like the other movie stars

[kudakwashe makhuza[malaysia]

guys check most of cr7's goals last season.most of them were direct thru balls from the best player in england[wayne rooney].we dd not lose wen he played last season except the chelsea game were he got injured.that tells u somethin.mean man united

[Peter]

Let's get it out of the way first - I'm a long term United fan and lucky enough to have seen all the No 7s discussed from their debuts for the first team. For me there is only one best - Best. His career finished too early but he still produced more great seasons than anyone has subsequently. After 1968 he picked up the team and carried them until he finished. Could Ronaldo be better - if he repeats last season consistently then he will be at least as good but there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before that becomes reality. As for the comparison with Messi at this stage Ronaldo is the more effective footballer but they're both young and time will tell. I wouldn't swap Ronaldo for Messi but I would happily have him playing alongside!

[nashkid]

people if kaka can win the the world player of they year based on his champions league performances then ronaldo for his 42 goals, champions league and league success deserves the awards on merit, messi wasn't even the best player in la liga last year, ronaldo played great for the whole year not a few Olympic games, and all you idiots talk about manu b barca.just ask me who won the match who scored in the final.

[alan]

ronaldo the best player of the world? messi is 10 times better!! last year messi didnt score so may goals because he was 6 months injured. Ronaldo is not as good as they say. There is Torres too. Half of the goals of Ronaldo are from free-kicks or penalties.messi is god.

[alan]

ronaldo the best player? messi is 10 times better.messi was injured 6 months last year, this is the reason he didn't score to many goals.

[Matt]

To Alex. Ronaldo also won more than Messi because he was part of a very strong team, whilst Messi was part of a team in decline. In fact many Barcellona players have now moved on since last season. As a player, Messi would make more of an impact than Ronaldo. He was the beast player on the pitch against Man U. However, I do consider Ronaldo a great player.

[Simon]

Alex Mackrill, I like your style. That is precisely it, Ronaldo pretty much won Utd the trophies they got last year and was Europes hottest finisher.

[Alex Mackrill]

To all those blowing Messi's trumpet, you seem to be ignoring what ACTUALLY happened last season. Ronaldo was top scorer in the Premier League AND Champions League and, with 42 goals, the top scorer in all of Europe. Winner of the Premier League AND Champions League, while Messi, for all his brilliance, won.... absolutely nothing.

[Matt]

When Man Utd played Barcellona in lasts years Champions League, Ronaldo was eclipsed by a very talented Messi. There is not doubt that Messi is the new Maradona, and the best player in the world today. Ronaldo is probably number 2.

[Bill]

I look forward to Ronaldo and Messi and World Cup 2010.

Remember Maradonna didnt have a great World Cup 82 at (22) but 4 years later it was a different story.

Ronaldo or Messi could reach those heights, however it is also likely that they might not. We shall see.

[alan]

cristinao the best player of the world? its this a joke? have you seen how is Messi playing? are you blind? Cristiano is not better than torres, rooney, kun aguero.. most of his gols are from penaltys or free kicks. messi is 10 times better than ronaldo, there is no doubt!! did you watch barcelona vs united? watch it again and think who's better.

[kunle]

Hassan it is true that messi is a great player, but to assume he will be better than maradona is sacrilege. Neither messi nor ronaldo will reach that level.

[ysgar]

MESSI is better player

[iain love]

Like most people here i think Messi is better than Ronaldo, Finchie ? Arsenal cheap Barca ???? Arsenal are inconsistant but cheap Barca !!! in the last 5yrs compare the two teams progress in the champions league surely Barcas record would be MUCH better than Arsenals ?

[Gabi]

It's obvious the writer doesn't follow international football, or he would realise the best player in the world is not Cristiano, but Messi. Of course, Ronaldo is more handsome and a fashion victim, and that's why he's all over the place. But that doesn't make him a better player. To the writer: I strongly suggest you see last night's match between Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid.

[Finchie]

Has the writer of this article ever actually seen Messi play?

[Hassan]

Last night Barcelona beat Athletico Madrid 6-1. Lionel Messi scored one of the goals from a free-kick and was involved, one way or another, in the development of the others. It is often said of Messi that his greatest strength is dribbling - it's true - but because Messi literally strolls past defenders in a manner that is reminiscent of Maradona, defenders swarm to him in droves; naturally this provides space for Barcelona's attacking quartet - Xavi, Iniesta, Eto'o, and Henry - with the space to ply their offensive trade with the scintillating flair that embodies Barcelona. In England, we often praise the flamboyance of Arsenal, and rightly so; Arsenal play the beautiful game but on the continent Arsenal are little more than a cheap man’s Barcelona.

In the summer Olympics, Argentina were crowned champions in a tournament that featured Brazil spearheaded by Diego, Pato, and Ronaldinho. Unsurprisingly, Messi was the driving force behind the vast majority of Argentina’s goal and in the final, a graceful through ball from Messi was sublimely slotted home by De Maria.

In 2007 the Barcelona camp was plagued by internal friction and factious rivalry. Throughout the season, corollary, the team coach Frank Rijkaard was under a knife edge. There was little consistency on the field; the effortless confidence that normally exuded from the Camp Nou was substituted with languid and erratic exasperation. In Italy, AC Milan found themselves in a similar set of circumstances to Barcelona. AC Milan finished 5th and they are now competing in the UEFA Cup. In Spain, surrounded by discordance, Barcelona finished 3rd in La Liga. This was largely due to the consistency of Lionel Messi.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a good player but the persistent criticism of Ronaldo is that he tends to “bottle it” against the better teams. While this alone does not make Lionel Messi better than Ronaldo (even though Messi has scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid and has not been exactly conspicuous by his absence against the likes of Valencia, Villarreal, Seville, or, indeed, against Manchester United last season) the purists advance their argument by making a comparison between Ronaldo’s overall game with Messi’s – namely Ronaldo has a better head, he can play with both feet, and he is, slightly, quicker – surely that must make Ronaldo a better player, right?

As a Barcelona fan (yes, I confess) I say wrong. With a Maradona-esque left foot like Messi, and considering he is a slightly diminutive figure, Messi doesn’t rely on his head. As for Messi’s right foot, that will develop in the same way that Ronaldo’s left foot has developed – with experience. Further, Messi is a proven match-winner (like Maradona, he can do it on his own) against Espanyol last week in a match marred by crowd violence, Messi stepped up to take the spot-kick in the 103rd minute and, with virtually the last kick of the game, calmly glided the ball home for the winner in the Catalan derby. In the Champions League last week, Messi came off the bench to score two crucial goals in the dying moments of the second half against a determined Shakhtar team that had resiliently kept a clean sheet for 88 minutes. To conclude, Messi is 21 and when Ronaldo was 21, you may recall, he was eating grass.

Ronaldo is good but to say that “Ronaldo is without doubt the best player in the world” is ignorant indeed. As for the comment below insinuating that Ronaldo is going to replace Maradona as the greatest player ever – please - let me have some of what you’re smoking. If there is a player in world football today that is following the footsteps of Maradona, it is not Ronaldo (Ronaldo was notably truant in Euro 2008, particularly against Germany where he was outshone by the former out of favor Barcelona star Deco who, at the time of writing, is going through a rehabilitation program at Stamford Bridge), but Messi. On his day, Ronaldo is a conventional footballer of the highest caliber but endless step-overs, trickery, and dancing around the edge of the penalty box are nothing more than a ruse; it is not greatness.

You know a great player when you see one – Maradona, Romario, Luis Ronaldo, Ronaldinho - and for the first time in a generation football has been gifted with a talent with the potential to be the greatest ever and you’re either blind (or English) if you don’t see it. It’s not Cristiano Ronaldo, Craig. It’s Lionel Messi.

[Mark Wilkes]

Currently it has to be Lionel Messi (by the way it's prounounced Lee o nell). Not just gifted with dribbling ability and skill in abundance, but also does his shift tackling back and defending. He has the smile of an excited child when he scores, it's great to see someone happy, unlike Mr. Glum Rooney. However hot on the heels of Lionel (as I say pronounce Lee o nell), watch out for Bojan, the next big thing.....

[Kafka]

Ronaldo's forte is his pace and header. He showboats his skill which is grossly overrated both by himself and the pundits. His penchant to boast his skill and his awol on the big stage rendeer him an impossible candidate for the best footballer of the world. Not by a long chalk!

[andy b]

I think Rooney is better than ronaldo.