Cristiano Ronaldo, on his latest boots, has paid a touching tribute to two of his former clubs Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United with the ‘XXVIII’ sign near the heels of the boot. The XXVIII roman numeral signifies the Number 28 shirt he wore during his time in the first team of his first club Sporting Lisbon, and the highlighted ‘VII’ signifies the transformation to the ‘Number 7’ shirt when he joined the English giants.
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Recalling his time at Manchester United, the Portuguese said, “I remember when I left Lisbon for England that Alex Ferguson said to me, ‘I want you to take the No 7’. I accepted the challenge, it was great and it was the beginning of my success in football.”
It is undoubtedly a touching tribute from the Portuguese who remembers his time at Old Trafford very fondly, "I did not only improve my football skills, but also my physique. In my five years there, I learned the art of football. We won many things together. It was a dream for me."
Manchester United for their part, have struggled to replace the Portugal captain since his departure, a void still felt at Old Trafford. The players who wore the Number 7 shirt since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure at Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Angel di Maria and Memphis Depay.
The Portuguese however, has gone on to establish himself as one of the best players in the world, scoring at least 50 goals in each of the last 6 seasons for Real Madrid. He has picked up one La Liga title, two Champions League titles, and four Ballon d’Ors during his time at the capital of Spain.
The Portuguese had recently had the airport of his hometown Madeira renamed after him, where he said, "You know how proud I am of my roots, my homeland".
All those stories you heard of him being that incessantly proud person might actually be a myth.
