"Happy and proud" - Vinicius Jr speaks out after inheriting the iconic No. 7 jersey previously worn by Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. has revealed that he is "happy and proud" to wear the iconic number 7 shirt which was previously worn by club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Brazilian winger had the opportunity to wear the number 7 shirt for the very first time as a Los Blancos player during his side's 2:0 victory over Manchester United.

It was a memorable night for Vinicius Jr, as he was on target for Carlo Ancelotti's team along side new signing Jude Bellingham during their preseason fixture against United.

It was reveled towards the end of last season, that Vinicius will be inheriting the number 7 shirt from former Real Madrid star Eden Hazard ahead of the 2023-24 football season.

Vinicius had worn the number 20 shirt since his arrival at the Santiago Bernebeu from Brazilian club side Flamengo in 2018.

The 23-year-old has gone on to become an integral member of Real Madrid squad, playing a key role in the club's success in recent seasons. He has registered an impressive total of 59 goals and 64 assists for Los Blancos.

Vinicius Jnr's stellar performances for Real Madrid has now seen him been saddled with the responsibility of wearing the iconic number 7 shirt. The famous squad number has been previously worn by a couple of club legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Vinicius has also revealed that he is very much happy to wear the same shirt number previously worn by the Portuguese veteran at the club. He said (via MadridXtra):

“I'm very happy and proud to be chosen to wear the number 7, the number of Cristiano, Juanito. I am very happy.”

It will be interesting to see if Vinicius can follow in the footsteps of Ronaldo, as Real Madrid's new number 7. The Portuguese is currently the all-time top scorer for Los Blancos with 450 goals.

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Recounting when Real Madrid star named Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol

Portuguese veteran Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time due to his enormous accomplishments in the world of football.

Aside from winning a bag full of trophies and individual records, Ronaldo also has a huge amount of influence on a couple of his young colleagues in the sport. A handful of active players consider the Portuguese as an idol.

One of them being Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr, who hasn't hidden his admiration for the Los Blancos' legend. Speaking during an interview with MadridXtra in 2022, Vinicius revaled that he had posters of the Portuguese veteran while growing up and sees him as an idol.

When asked to decribe Ronaldo, he said "Goals, goals, goals. I had his posters on my wall when i was little. He is an idol to me."