The number seven shirt is an iconic jersey at Manchester United, with the burden of that pressure having weighed heavily on most in the last decade or so, from the likes of Memphis Depay to Alexis Sanchez.
The current incumbent, Mason Mount, is the latest to be blessed with that honour, albeit with the 2023 arrival having failed to live up to the billing as yet. Some of the game’s greats have worn it for United – time is running out for Mount to try and follow in their footsteps.
But who are those names? Football FanCast takes a look back on the very best to wear it.
10 Edinson Cavani (2020-2021)
Maybe not the first name you think of when considering United’s No 7 shirt – but honestly, not that many players have worn it. Those who made a name for themselves held it for a very, very long time.
Cavani, on the other hand, was only United’s No 7 for a single season. It was a decent campaign, though, as the Uruguayan scored 17 goals in all competitions, including 10 in the Premier League. A Europa League final nearly capped a fine debut campaign for the club.
He’d give it up in 2021, however, to a certain returning superstar and wore 21 for his final season with United.
9 Antonio Valencia (2012-2013)
As a player for United, Valencia would usually be higher on a list like this. He only actually wore the No 7 for one season, though. The then-winger arrived and took up No 25, shining in the shirt and winning the club’s Player of the Year in 2012.
Michael Owen’s departure allowed Valencia the chance to wear the famous 7 and he took it that year. United would win the title in 2013, but the Ecuadorian had a subpar individual campaign. Related or not, he swapped back to 25 for the 2013/14 season.
Not exactly the most distinguished spell in the No 7 shirt, then, but Valencia does remain the last United player to win the title while wearing it.
8 Cristiano Ronaldo (2021-2022)
Ronaldo’s two spells in the shirt are split for this list, with his most recent time coming in at eighth. It’s a very hard spell to judge, after all, and very unlike his first.
Ronaldo returned to much fanfare in 2021 and his first season back was very good on an individual level. He scored 18 times in the Premier League, with another six coming in just seven Champions League games.
United, though, finished 6th and didn’t threaten in any competitions. They also went through three managers in what was an awful season – and his antics in the following campaign brought about much criticism.
Erik ten Hag clearly felt there was no longer a place for him in the team. Ronaldo would score three times in 16 games before being released from his contract in November 2022.
7 Steve Coppell (1975-1982)
Coppell can’t boast the success of anyone else on this list, given the era he played in. United just simply weren’t at the top of the game, with the highlight being that they stopped Liverpool from winning the treble in 1977 by beating them in the FA Cup final.
That trophy, and the subsequent Community Shield, was all that Coppell won in his career – but again, United just weren’t that competitive.
Coppell did hold down a place in the heart of the side for eight years, though, amassing over 300 appearances for the club. He doesn’t boast the medals to show for it, but the Liverpool-born winger managed a consistency in the 7 shirt that no one before him on this list could quite manage.
6 Johnny Berry (1951-1958)
Berry very much does have the medals to show for his time in United’s no.7 shirt. He won the league title three times under Matt Busby, playing just shy of 300 games for the club.
Perhaps he could have had even more to show for it, too. Berry was involved in the Munich air disaster, and though he survived, his injuries were too severe for his football career to continue. The then-31-year-old fractured his skull and broke his jaw, elbow, pelvis and leg. Berry suffered from amnesia as a result of the accident, too, and wasn’t even aware there had been a crash – let alone that many teammates had died.
So while Berry isn’t anywhere near as big a name as many on this list, none gave more for United. There’s no question about that.
5 Bryan Robson (1981-1992)
Okay, so now we’re firmly into the controversial ones, as depending on when you grew up, the following five players could be in just about any order. Some may even argue that Robson should be top, though places in this list at fifth.
Robson was United’s captain for their resurgence through the 1980s and return to the top of the English game in the early ’90s. He was the face of the side for a very long time – really until another name later on this list showed up and take the No 7 shirt from him.
But perhaps it’s best put like this. Coppell didn’t win much while wearing United’s no.7 shirt and it was Robson who took it off him. The latter certainly did win trophies, however – three FA Cups, a League Cup, a Charity Shield and the European Cup Winners’ Cup. There would be two Premier League titles, too, but Robson wasn’t wearing the no.7 anymore, having taken a backseat role towards the end of his career.
There is little doubt, though, that Robson was an absolutely essential part of United’s rise under Alex Ferguson. Without him, the stage would not have been set for the ’90s dominance and he’s unquestionably one of the club’s greatest – and most important – players ever.
4 David Beckham (1997-2003)
Beckham was far and away the most famous footballer on the planet for a spell. His fame reached such a level that it drastically overtook his reputation as a footballer, leaving some to believe he wasn’t actually all that good.
No, Beckham’s ability never matched his fame. That’s not to say he wasn’t an extraordinary player, however, and in United’s six years with Beckham in their No 7 shirt, they won four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup.
That spell included the 1998/99 treble season, of course, and Beckham’s role in that maybe gets forgotten a bit. UEFA named him Footballer of the Year in 1999, FIFA gave him their ‘Silver Award’, and the United star was second in Ballon d’Or voting with 154 votes (Andriy Shevchenko, in contrast, finished third with 64 votes).
Beckham was a true star in United’s No 7 shirt – it’s just absolutely remarkable that he was sandwiched between the two players following him on this list.
3 Eric Cantona (1992-1997)
If you have Cantona first, there are no hard feelings here. He has a very strong case in being the most important player in United’s history.
The Frenchman’s arrival from Leeds United in 1992 transformed United into the country’s best team and they immediately won the Premier League title – their first in 26 years. Teams just couldn’t handle him and Ferguson knew exactly how to take advantage.
Cantona was the star as United retained the title in 1994, then won it again in 1996 and 1997 – at which time the playmaker retired from football. In fact, a major reason they didn’t win it in 1995 was that Cantona got himself suspended for delivering his infamous ‘kung-fu’ kick at a spectator.
United’s dominance and rise to being the world’s biggest club was built on the back of Cantona, and without him, that simply doesn’t happen.
2 Cristiano Ronaldo (2003-2009)
Again, Ronaldo can easily be at the top here. His first spell at United was extraordinary as he developed from a teenager who mainly did stepovers into the world’s greatest player.
The first three years were decent from the Portuguese winger and it was clear he had talent. In 2006, however, Ronaldo exploded into a player no one saw coming. His 17 goals in 34 Premier League games carried United to the title, ending Chelsea’s spell of dominance. Ronaldo would go even better the following season as he scored 31 times.
He ended up with 42 in all competitions during 2007/08, and United clinched the Premier League and Champions League titles. They’d make it three league triumphs in a row, too, as Ronaldo scored 18 more in 2009.
He was so good that the Ballon d’Or arrived in 2008. This was the first time a Premier League player won the award since Michael Owen in 2001 and, amazingly, Ronaldo remains the most recent. He’d win a few more for himself, of course, after leaving for Real Madrid in 2009.
Ronaldo achieved more at United than just about anyone. He reached the very top of the game, after all – something only three other Red Devils have managed. In fact, it had been 40 years since someone had done it and he happens to be at the top of this list.
1 George Best (1963-1973)
Best has the trophies – two league titles and a European Cup. He’s got the individual awards – Golden Boot, Footballer of the Year, Ballon d’Or. He’s also got the fame that others boast – Best was, by all accounts, the first true celebrity footballer in England.
Of course, Ronaldo has all of that as well, but Best places ahead of him for one reason. The Northern Irishman is utterly synonymous with United’s No 7 shirt, while there’s a good chance that you picture Ronaldo more as a Real Madrid player now.
There’s really not much to separate the two in terms of accolades, after all, and we think they’re the two greatest to ever wear United’s No 7 shirt.
Best, though, is woven into the fabric of United like few players are. He took the club to the top of the game before anyone else and did it as the world’s best player. Without him, there’s a very good chance that none of the success that followed actually happens and that United never become one of the world’s biggest clubs.
When a player puts on that No 7 shirt, as Mount is set to do, they’re following in Best’s footsteps first and foremost. He’s the one who set the standards so incredibly high – and no one has yet beat them.