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The number 7 jersey in football is usually worn by wingers and second strikers but it has also been graced by some of the most famous central strikers to have played the game.
Traditionally, the number 7 has been synonymous with players who love to dribble and run in behind opposition defences to whip crosses to forward colleagues in the penalty area. However, just like the game, the role of the number 7 has also evolved with time.
10 best number 7s in football history
Nevertheless, the most skilful player in a team is often bestowed the honour of wearing the number 7 jersey. Some of the most legendary players in the sport, both active and retired, have donned this jersey for teams over the years.
On that note, let us have a look at ten of the best players in the sport, in no particular order, who have become synonymous with the iconic number 7 jersey.
#10 Raul
Real Madrid's Raul Gonzalez, more commonly known only by his first name, is one of the most famous number 7s not only in the club's illustrious history but in the game itself.
Raul, who came through the Madrid ranks, inherited the famed Real Madrid number 7 jersey from the outgoing Emilio Butragueno in 1995 at the age of 17 and never looked back.
During a richly successful decade-and-a-half-long stint at the Bernabeu, Raul scored goals galore, 323 of them to be exact, as Real Madrid's latest number 7 became the club's all-time top-scorer before being usurped by his successor Cristiano Ronaldo (more about him later).
The Spain international was at his prolific best in the 2000-01 season as his 32 goals in all competitions helped Real Madrid win La Liga and reach the Champions League semi-finals. Raul left for Schalke in 2010 after winning six league trophies and three Champions League titles.
The player later returned to Madrid in a managerial capacity and delivered the club's first UEFA Youth League title.
#9 Franck Ribery
Franck Ribery arrived at Bayern Munich in the summer of 2007 and inherited the club's number 7 jersey from the retiring Mehmet Scholl.
Not everyone was convinced by his arrival in Bavaria but Ribery managed to endear himself to the Bayern faithful by scoring in his second Bundesliga game, and there would be no looking back from there.
Ribery had big boots to fill but made a good start to life in Germany. He scored 11 goals and assisted eight others as Bayern won the league and Cup double, in the process becoming only the second-ever foreigner to win Germany's Player of the Year award. However, the Frenchman was only just getting started.
A year later, Ribery was joined by Arjen Robben, and the duo - nicknamed Robbery - would wreak havoc down the flanks, with Ribery on the left and Robben on the right. The two wingers propelled Bayern to arguably their most dominating spells in Germany and abroad.
During his 12-season stint in Bavaria, Ribery was plagued by injuries but nevertheless scored 124 goals and assisted 182 more as he surpassed Hasan Salihamidzic to become the club's most-capped foreign player.
Ribery ended his Bayern stint with 23 titles - a record nine of them being Bundesliga triumphs - to etch his name into Bayern's record books before joining Fiorentina for the 2019-20 season. He subsequently retired in 2022.
#8 Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan is one of the most decorated players in the history of Liverpool.
During his six-season stint at Anfield from 1971 to 1977, Keegan wore the iconic number 7 jersey in all but one season (1974-75).
Due to his prowess up front, the player was transitioned from a right-midfielder to a central striker by legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly. The move yielded rich dividends as Keegan conjured 90 goals and 56 assists in all competitions, with the English giants lifting three league titles, as many titles in Europe and one in the FA Cup.
#7 David Beckham
David Beckham, renowned for his crossing ability from the right wing and especially for his dead-ball prowess, was one of the most iconic number 7s in the history of the game.
Beckham first inherited the number at the young age of 21 while at Manchester United after the shirt's previous occupier, Eric Cantona, left the club.
The Englishman, who did not wear the number 7 during his four years at Real Madrid, scored 127 goals and assisted 202 others during a successful club career for six different teams.
Beckham scored 65 free-kicks during his nearly two-decade career for club and country, a tally that includes 29 for Manchester United and 14 for Real Madrid.
#6 Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona first shot to the limelight with Leeds United in the summer of 1992 when he scored nine goals as his side pipped Manchester United to win their first league title in 18 years.
Despite his eccentricities, Cantona immediately endeared himself to the Leeds faithful and inherited the number 7 jersey despite a listless outing with France at Euro' 92.
However, with Leeds' title defence and his relationship with the manager spectacularly imploding in the inaugural Premier League season, Manchester United came calling for Cantona, and there would be no looking back.
Much like he did at Elland Road, Cantona became a crowd favourite at Old Trafford as he scored fabulous goals galore and won trophies aplenty.
The Frenchman's 61 goals and 81 assists in four-and-a-half seasons at Manchester United delivered a rich haul of four Premier League trophies, five Super Cups and two FA Cup titles.
#5 Luis Figo
Luis Figo made the number 7 jersey his own at Sporting Lisbon and then at FC Barcelona as he won back-to-back league and Spanish Cup titles at the club.
Figo then made an acrimonious switch to Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid but continued to find success as a 'Galactico' at his new club. Although the Portugal international did not wear the number 7 shirt at Madrid, his 56 goals and 93 assists propelled the Bernabeu side to two La Liga titles and a Champions League triumph.
The then most-capped Portugal player later moved to Inter where he was handed the number 7 jersey. Figo once again demonstrated his goal-scoring and goal-creating abilities, along with his set-piece prowess, as the Nerazzurri won four consecutive league titles among other domestic honours.
#4 Bastian Schweinsteiger
Though Bastian Schweinsteiger never wore the number 7 jersey in his club career, the German player became synonymous with this jersey while playing for his national team.
Schweinsteiger is not the quintessential number 7 who is predominantly involved in the attacking third as the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner also does a fair share of the 'dirty' work, helping out his defence and cutting out opposition attacks.
Interestingly, the Germany international wore the number 31 during his 13 seasons with Bayern Munich, two with Manchester United and three with the Chicago Bulls in the MLS.
#3 George Best
George Best is one of the most legendary players in the history of football and is considered one of the best to have graced the sport.
Although he donned many different jerseys during his decade-long stint at Old Trafford, the Northern Irishman became synonymous as one of the club's finest number 7s.
Best, who is one of the best players never to have graced a major international tournament like the Euros or the FIFA World Cup, was renowned for his dribbling prowess, two-footedness and his ability to run in behind defenders.
During a glorious club career, most of which he spent at Manchester United, Best won two league titles, two Super Cups as well as an FA Cup and European Champions Club Cup (now called the Champions League).
One of Best's many records includes scoring the most goals for a club in a season as a teenager for Manchester United, a record that has since been emulated by only three players in the ensuing five decades.
#2 Garrincha
Manuel Francisco dos Santos, more commonly known as Garrincha, is arguably one of the finest dribblers of all time.
The right-winger used to blaze down the flanks and bamboozle opposition defenders with his impressive array of tricks and feints. In the absence of a certain Pele, Garrincha played a key role in Brazil's successful title defence in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, where he was also the tournament's leading scorer and Golden Ball winner.
Garrincha, which means 'little bird' in Portuguese, spent the bulk of his club career at Botafogo but became more renowned for his formidable partnership with Pele while playing for Brazil.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo may come up second to Garrincha in terms of ability with the ball at his feet but considering the player's sustained excellence and longevity for almost two decades, he is the undisputed choice for the best number 7 to have graced the beautiful game.
The Portugal captain, who is the only European player to score 100 international goals (only the second player overall to accomplish the feat), has never looked back after receiving the iconic jersey from Manchester United's legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2003.
Except for two seasons (one with Sporting Lisbon and the other for Real Madrid), Ronaldo has always worn the number 7 jersey during his club career and large swathes of his international career.
The all-time top-scorer in Real Madrid and Champions League history, who is one of the best players to have played the game, was renowned for his elaborate series of step-overs and dribbling prowess in the left-flank when he first started out.
As his career progressed, Ronaldo later transitioned to a centre-forward with consummate ease, a move that has yielded rich dividends in terms of goals scored but his goal-creating ability dwindled. He later made a sensational return to Manchester United in the 2021-22 season. That however ended on a sour note as he was released from the team following disagreements with the manager. He joined Saudi club Al-Nassr in December 2022.
