Jimmy Butler pays tribute to Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr teammate, and others after picking new shirt number at Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler has cited Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate Sadio Mane, and others after picking up a new jersey number. The 35-year-old joined the San Francisco side from the Miami Heat earlier this month.

Butler is a well-known soccer fan and is good friends with former Barcelona superstar Neymar. The American made his debut for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday (February 8) and dropped 25 points to help them pick up a 132-111 win over the Chicago Bulls.

He has now picked up the No. 10 jersey for the club, which is also an iconic number in soccer. Butler shared the news via an Instagram post containing pictures of Neymar, Lionel Messi, Mane, Ronaldinho and others, with the message:

"Joining the tens."

The No. 10 jersey is often correlated with the best player in a football team. Several iconic players of the past and present have worn the shirt number, including the legendary Pele and Diego Maradona.

However, the No. 7 shirt is coveted as well, and Cristiano Ronaldo has already made it a worldwide phenomenon in his career.

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Which jersey numbers have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi worn in their careers?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry has entertained football fans for close to two decades. While La Pulga has sported the iconic No. 10 for most of his career, Ronaldo has sizzled in the No. 7 shirt for some of the top teams in the world.

The Argentine icon started his career with Barcelona with No. 30 before moving to No. 19. When Ronaldinho left Camp Nou in 2008, Lionel Messi picked up the No. 10 for the Catalans, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner left the LaLiga club in 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), where he wore No. 30. However, La Pulga was back with No. 10 after joining Inter Miami in the summer of 2023.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, started his career with Sporting CP with No. 28. After moving to Manchester United in 2003, he was handed the No. 7 shirt, freshly vacated by David Beckham.

The Portuguese legend added further glory to the shirt. While he initially donned the No. 9 shirt at Real Madrid, Ronaldo went on to wear the No. 7 shirt in his second season. The 40-year-old has also worn the same number at Juventus and now at Al-Nassr.