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There are only so many iconic jersey numbers in sports, associated with some of the greatest athletes the world has ever witnessed. Football, like all sports, has a few of those jerseys, of which the No.7 has emerged to earn a special significance.
Though there's not a shadow of a doubt that the single most iconic and coveted jersey in football is the No.10, there have been some absolute legends of the game who've worn the No.7 jersey and have raised the bar for any player bestowed with it by his/her team.
Invariably, when talking about the No.7s in football, Cristiano 'CR7' Ronaldo is the first name that pops up in the conversation, given how he has established himself as a breathing incarnation of footballing excellence and has permanently made the number synonymous with greatness.
Well, apart from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, there are some other world-class players too, who have been honoured with the No.7 jersey in world football.
So, before the 2019/20 season kicks into full gear, let us take a look at the top seven players staking their claim to be the best No.7 in the world at the moment.
#7 Jose Callejon
We kick off our list with Napoli wingman Jose Callejon. The former Real Madrid player has been a part of the exciting Napoli attack that got its fame under Maurizio Sarri and is now managed b Carlo Ancelotti.
He has been a valuable asset for Gli Azzurri since joining in 2013 and has been a consistent provider of attacking threat having scored 79 goals and providing 69 assists in Italy.
Due to presence of star talents who in his team, he has now taken up the role of provider of the goals rather than the scorer, as evident by his 3 goals and 10 assists in the 2018/19 campaign.
In addition to his incredible attacking talents, he is also a tireless defensive worker who works himself into the ground and one of the players who are not afraid of getting involved in tackling and falling back when the situation calls for it.
His versatility combined with his attributes make him one of the most underrated players in the world too.
#6 Jadon Sancho
There's probably not a single football fan who hasn't heard about Borussia Dortmund's teenage sensation, Jadon Sancho. The player had a night to remember in his recent outing with his club, in which he became the youngest player ever to reach 15 goals in Bundesliga, breaking a 52-year-old record.
Already two games into the German top-flight, the Englishman has two goals and two assists to his name, a stat perfectly apt to the jersey number he dons for the eight-time German champions.
Sancho is a natural winger who possesses flair, skills and blistering pace. He likes to take on defenders and has grown pretty good at it, as his 3.3 dribbles-per-game indicate.
We can definitely expect more to come from this exciting youngster going forward and eventual become the main man not only for Die Borussen but England as well.
#5 N'Golo Kante
Well, though not your typical No.7, but N'Golo Kante is so good at what he does that he deserves a spot on our list.
Despite being a defensive midfielder, he dons the famous jersey for the Blues, which has traditionally gone to a winger. He broke into the scene in the Premier League at his former club Leicester City, powering them to the league title in the 2015/16 season.
And since joining Chelsea, he has never looked back. His reputation and career has gone from strength to strength, winning another league title, a Europa League and also the FIFA World Cup with France.
Kante may not be your usual No. 7, with his pressing, hard-tackling and intense energy game, but there can be no arguing with the fact that he is one of the best No. 7s around at the .
#4 Son Heung-min
Tottenham Hotspur are not a club usually associated with prolific wingers. It would be hard for anyone to name anyone else than Gareth Bale. But in South Korea's Son Heung-min, they have got a real gem.
With almost 60 goals in his past three seasons with Tottenham, Son has become one of the English top flight’s most potent and versatile wide forwards, comfortable in any position across the front.
He had 20 goals and 10 assists across all competitions for Spurs last season and so important was his contribution to the club last season that he managed a clean sweep at their end of the season awards.
Though he failed to make an impact in his first match of the season, it is only a matter of time before he gets back to his best and prove why he can challenge for the title of the best No.7 of the Premier League with only one other star from EPL making it into the list.
#3 Raheem Sterling
Manchester City have one of the best attacks in the Premier League, if not Europe. And one of the players who's proved himself indispensable to Pep Guardiola over the past two-three seasons is winger Raheem Sterling.
The Sky Blues' No.7 had 17 goals and 10 assists in the 2018/19 title-winning campaign in just 34 appearances. Also, he was the only player other than Lionel Messi to have double-digit goals and assists for two seasons in a row, in 2017/18 and 2018/19, a feat most of the forwards can only dream of.
He has kicked-off this season brightly, scoring an opening day hat-trick and two goals more in subsequent matches. And it seems at present there's no player who can challenge his supremacy as the best No.7 of the league.
#2 Kylian Mbappe
There's hardly a more famous 20-year-old in the world than Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe. At the age where players just begin their careers and dream of lifting major honors, the kid from Paris has already scored in the World Cup final and won the biggest trophy in football with France.
To say that the former Monaco player is a sensation would be an understatement. With 33 goals last campaign, he would've won the European Golden Shoe, if it was not for Messi's brilliance that saw him take home the crown for a record sixth time, making the net bulge 36 times for Barcelona.
Despite the presence of proven forwards like Neymar and Edison Cavani, the goal haul and attacking performances he puts in are highly commendable.
It is pretty evident that he will be the true heir of the No.7 jersey, as and when Ronaldo chooses to retire from the game.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Well, has there ever been a more iconic No.7 that Cristiano Ronaldo? There'll always be two schools of thought on that. But one thing's for sure no player has the same impact in the jersey with club and country than the Portuguese ace.
Though he didn't have the best of the seasons with respect to goal returns, he did win a bunch of trophies and was also named the MVP of Serie A in his debut season.
With top athletes in Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappe both out injured, it is safe to say that heading into the new campaign, no one can challenge his supremacy as the best No.7 at the moment.
Even at the age of 34, the star still has got the physical acumen to get the better of players much younger than him. He missed out on Serie A's top scorer last season, but, we know he's got the mental resolve and the competitive fire inside him to prove why he will always be remembered as the one and only CR7.
