Soccer players with the number seven are usually the attacking wingers or second strikers after number nine. Players with number seven often hold offensive positions and are mostly the team’s highest scorers.
Although the jersey numbers are not strict to a player’s position, number seven has been relatively consistent in field position. This legendary number, seven, has been worn by soccer superstars who have set records and added tremendously to the soccer game.
This article will look into players who have graced the number seven shirt. We shall highlight their:
- Wins and Records
- Club career
- International Bid
Be prepared to be amazed by what these soccer players with the number seven have accomplished.
The Best Soccer Players With The Number 7
The number 7 in soccer is traditionally a wide midfielder. These number 7s are attacking, creative and goal scorers. There is also a prolific striker on this list. This number is highly sought after, so here’s an all-star selection.
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham is a global sports ambassador and a British cultural icon. Beckham was a right-winger soccer player known for bending free-kicks and passing accurately.
Currently, he is the co-owner of both Inter Miami CF and Salford City.
Beckham started his career at Manchester United at age 17. While with the team, he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and a UEFA Champions League. He later moved to Real Madrid and won the La Liga championship.
At age 21, Beckam was admitted into the national team, which he captained for six years. He featured in 1998, 2002, and 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2000 and 2004 UEFA European Championships.
Because of his prolific career, Beckam is the most recognizable midfielder of his generation. In 2008, he was entered into the English Football Hall of Fame. Later, in 2021 he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Aside from that, he was the runner-up for the Ballon d’Or. Similarly, he was also runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year. In addition, he also appeared in Pele’s FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The name Cristiano Ronaldo is almost synonymous with the number 7. He is the most marketable and famous athlete, winning accolades and recognition beyond soccer.
For two years consecutively, he was named by Forbes as the most paid athlete in the world. ESPN also recognized him as the most famous athlete in 2016 and 2019.
In addition, in 2014, he was named by Times Magazine among the 100 most influential people globally.
With all the recognition and credit, Cristiano has earned big bank, becoming the first soccer player to make over a billion dollars in his career.
Beyond being recognized with awards, he has set several records, including:
- Most appearances in the Champions League – 181
- Most goals in the Champions League – 140
- Most assists in the Champions League – 42
- Most Goals in the European Championship – 14
- Most international goals by a male player – 115
- Most international appearances by a European male – 184
- He has made over 1100 career appearances.
- He has over 800 senior career goals.
- Most capped Portuguese player – 180
- Portugal’s top scorer of all time – 100
Awards
- He has won the Ballon d’Or five times
- He has won four European Golden Shoes
- Best Portuguese player of all time
- Silver boot – Euro 2016
- Golden boot – Euro 2020
Ronaldo has won 32 trophies in his career.
Raul
Raul Gonzalez Blanco is another player who set records while wearing the number seven.
Gonzalez is:
- The fifth highest La Liga scorer – 228 goals
- Highest Spanish scorer in European leagues – 256 goals
- Third most appearances in La Liga – 550 appearances
- Fifth highest goals scorer in Champions League – 71 goals
- Fifth player to play most games in Champions League
Raul is considered one of the most important players in Real Madrid’s history and one of the greatest Spanish players of all time. He is also one of the best forwards ever.
Having played for Real Madrid for 16 years, he won the following:
- Six La Liga titles.
- Three UEFA Champions League titles.
- Four Supercopa de Espana titles.
- One UEFA Super Cup, and two Intercontinental Cups.
Raul later played for Schalke 04, Al Sadd, and New York Cosmos. In his career, Raul has been awarded several titles, including:
- Five Don Balon Awards
- Runners up in the 2001 Ballon d’Or Awards
- Third in 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year
- Two Pichichi trophies
- Best Player Award – 1998 Intercontinental Cup
- European Player of the year – 1997, 1999, 2000
Franck Ribery
‘The Jewel of French football’ is how Zinedine Zidane described Franck Ribbery. He is a prolific winger known for his skill, passing precision, energy, and pace.
In addition, he is an excellent dribbler, which makes him a player to admire when combined with his trickery and speed.
Ribery’s career was not stable at the start, with him having to move through Lille, US Boulogne, Ales, Brest, Metz, Galatasaray, Marseille, and finally landed in Bundesliga’s Bayern Munich.
At Bayern Munich, his career took off as he created a fruitful partnership with Arjen Robben. Their two-person partnership was nicknamed Robbery. When he left to join Fiorentina, Robben retired from soccer.
While at Bayern, he won nine Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokal titles, One UEFA Champions League, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
He was capped by France 81 times, playing in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and the 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championships.
He has won the French Player of the Year and the German award for the Footballer of the Year, holding the two titles simultaneously. In addition, he was also the Young Player of the Year and the UEFA Best Player in Europe.
Garrincha
Manuel Francisco dos Santos, nicknamed Mane Garrincha or simply Garrincha, is a soccer legend who also donned the number seven. Garrincha was popular in Brazil for his outstanding dribbling skills. Some even regard him as the best dribbler ever.
The people of Brazil referred to Garrincha as Alegria do Povo (People’s Joy) and Anjo de Pernas Tortas (Bent-Legged Angel).
In 1962 when Pele got injured, he led Brazil and won the World Cup. He was the first player in one tournament to receive the Golden Ball, Golden Boot and win the World Cup.
Garrincha’s spent his professional career at the Brazilian club Botafogo. Garrincha shared the legendary status with Pele as Brazil never lost a game while fielding the two.
In Brazil, he has a stadium named after him and a team room in another stadium named after him.
Kevin Keegan
The outstanding Kevin Keegan has also won the number seven shirt. Keegan is a former soccer player and manager. He played for Newcastle United, Southampton, Liverpool, and Hamburger SV as a forward.
Later, he managed Newcastle United, Fulham, and Manchester City.
Keegan also played and managed his national team. He was capped 63 times as a player and scored 21 goals.
He started his career at Scunthorpe United but quickly moved to Liverpool, where he won three First Division titles, two UEFA Cup trophies, an FA Cup, and a European Cup.
Luis Figo
Another Portuguese soccer player who donned jersey number seven is Luis Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo. Figo was popular for his creativity in play to pass the defense.
He is among the few players who played for the sworn rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
In his career, he amassed an arsenal of trophies, including:
- Portuguese Cup
- Four La Liga titles
- Two Spanish Cups
- Three Spanish Super Cups
- One UEFA League Title
- One UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup
- Two UEFA Super Cups
- One Intercontinental Cup
- Four Serie A titles
- One Italian Cup
- Three Italian Super Cups
Figo scored 32 goals for Portugal and played in two World Cups and three European Championships.
In addition, he has won a Ballon d’Or title in 2000, FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001, and was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living player by Pele in 2004.
