Spanish giants Real Madrid have given new signing Mariano Diaz the number ‘7’ shirt for this season, meaning that he will be the first player to don the fabled jersey since Cristiano Ronaldo.
This is according to the Sun, who are re-reporting from and translating from Spanish radio station Cadena COPE, who note that the 25-year-old will be the one to take the over the role as Los Blancos’ ‘no.7’ from Ronaldo, who moved to Juventus earlier this summer.
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This news may come as a shock for Real fans, who would’ve surely expected someone more familiar with the club to take over Ronaldo’s old shirt number for this season, not someone who has only rejoined the club this week.
This news will surely put a huge pressure on the shoulders of Mariano, who will now have a big monkey on his bag throughout his first season back at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The forward left the club in the summer of 2017 to join Lyon, a club where he impressed fans and critics alike with his goalscoring ability.
Mariano scored 18 and assisted five for the French giants in their Ligue 1 campaign last year, as he helped them qualify for this year’s Champions League campaign.
Only time will tell if Mariano is able to play his natural game whilst having the pressure of being Real’s new No.7 on his shoulders. We wish him all the best for the time being though!