“It put a lot of pressure on me” – Mariano Diaz reveals why he decided to wear iconic no.7 shirt worn by Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid

Former Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz opened up on why he chose to wear Cristiano Ronaldo’s legendary No. 7 jersey at the club. Ronaldo is Madrid’s all-time record scorer with 450 strikes in just 438 games across competitions. Diaz who was at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2016 and 2023 had modest returns, netting 12 times in 84 outings across multiple stint. Having first worn the No. 18 at Los Blancos, he returned for a second stint in the summer of 2018 and wore Ronaldo’s No. 7. Thanks for the submission! With Ronaldo departing for Juventus that summer, Madrid brought in Diaz from Olympique Lyon for a second stint, and the Brazilian inherited Ronaldo’s iconic jersey. 7 on his Madrid return: “The No. 7 may be the most important number ever worn by a Madrid player, because it has been worn by players such as Raul, Cristiano, and many legends of the team. So taking on that number was very nice, but at the same time, it put a lot of pressure on me. I wasn’t taking Cristiano’s place, but it was still an important role.” Diaz, though, didn’t come close to replicating Ronaldo’s staggering numbers, losing his No. 7 jersey the next season after a four-goal 2018-19 campaign. In the summer of 2023, the Brazilian joined Sevilla on a free transfer and now plies his trade with Alaves, whom he joined this summer. A look at Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo’s most prolific season at the club Cristiano Ronaldo spent an unforgettable near decade-long stint at Real Madrid. Arriving from Manchester United in the summer of 2009, the 40-year-old spent nine glorious seasons at the Bernabeu. After a 33-goal debut campaign in 2009-10, Ronaldo would score at least 50 times in his next six seasons. The most prolific of those campaigns came in 2014-15 when the legendary scorer blasted 61 strikes, the second time he netted 60 times in a season (also 60 in 2011-12). Unfortunately, Real Madrid didn’t win a major title that season, with their UEFA Champions League title defence ending in the semi-finals despite Ronaldo scoring 10 times. Meanwhile, in La Liga, Madrid finished two points behind Barcelona (94) in an epic title race, with Ronaldo scoring a staggering 48 times. Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup that season.
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