“So, for me, that number is very special” - Manchester United youngster on how Cristiano Ronaldo inspired his shirt number despite it not being No. 7

Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri has divulged how Cristiano Ronaldo influenced his kit number despite it not being the iconic No. 7.

The youngster currently dawns the No. 28 shirt for the Red Devils and has made 12 appearances across competitions this season, bagging an assist. Like Pellistri, Ronaldo wore the No. 28 jersey when he made his first professional appearance for Sporting CP.

Pellistri, 22, even revealed that the Portuguese icon influenced his decision to wear the No. 10 jersey at Uruguayan side CA Penarol before his Manchester United move.

Pellistri said on Manchester United's fans' Q&A (via talkSPORT) about his shirt numbers:

"Well because, when I came here to Manchester, I was playing in Penarol and I had the no.10. So the two plus the eight, they sum up to 10. So that’s why I take it. And, later, I realised that number was the one Ronaldo also made his debut in and all that. So, for me, that number is very special."

The Uruguay international joined the English giants in the summer of 2020 for a reported €8.5 million. After that, he completed two loan spells at Alaves and has now been integrated into the Manchester United first team by Erik ten Hag.

Unfortunately for the young attacker, he was unable to share the pitch with Ronaldo during the latter's second stint at Old Trafford from 2021 to late 2022. Overall, Pellistri has made a total of 22 senior appearances for United but is yet to net his first goal.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr in January 2023 after having his contract mutually terminated at Manchester United.

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How has Cristiano Ronaldo fared since his Manchester United exit?

Cristiano Ronaldo (via Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first of several football superstars to join the Saudi Pro League. Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Neymar, and Sadio Mane, among others, followed the Al-Nassr striker's footsteps in making the move to the Middle East.

Since joining the Riyadh-based outfit, Ronaldo has been extremely influential on the football pitch, scoring 34 goals and assisting 12 in 41 appearances in all competitions.

The former Juventus forward has notched up 20 goals and 10 assists in 22 matches across competitions in the current campaign.

Ronaldo is likely to start Al-Nassr's Saudi Pro League clash against Al-Ettifaq at home on Friday, December 22.