Real Madrid News
Vinicius Junior personally requested to wear the Real Madrid number 7 jersey
For the first time since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid have a proper number seven heading into a new season, in the form of Vinicius Junior.
The number was assigned to Vinicius Junior this summer, following the departure of Eden Hazard.
The club decided to part ways with the Belgian earlier in the summer, by terminating his contract.
Shirt change was requested by Vinicius Junior
According to Mario Cortegana, the shirt number change this summer was requested by Vinicius Junior himself.
The Brazilian had anticipated a number of changes to the team heading into the new season, which included the departures of both Hazard and Karim Benzema.
Vinicius, who had previously worn the number 20 kit for Real Madrid, wanted to don the iconic number seven shirt.
The club obliged, as Florentino Perez sees him as the flagship player for the club in the years to come, and also as a viable commercial asset.
Real Madrid’s recent troubles with the #7
The iconic number seven kit has been donned by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, and even former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique.
However, Real Madrid have not had a good experience with the number seven kit in recent years.
Following the exit of Ronaldo in 2018, the shirt was awarded to Mariano Diaz, who was coming on the back of an excellent season at Lyon.
But the forward was not able to live up to the expectations, forcing Real Madrid to spend big on Eden Hazard in 2019.
The Belgian was promptly awarded the number seven kit, but his stint with the Galacticos quickly turned sour.
Unfortunately, the former Chelsea superstar ended up enduring a worse spell at the Bernabeu. It ultimately forced Real Madrid to terminate his contract earlier in the summer.
With Hazard gone, Real Madrid would hope to have better luck with Vinicius. The Brazilian international has already hit the ground running with his performances in pre-season.
Despite the possibility of signing Kylian Mbappe this summer, everything suggests Vinicius will continue to be the main man for Los Blancos in the years to come.
Real Madrid’s start to the season has been nothing short of exemplary. The Merengues have won every game since the dawn of the campaign, going unbeaten over the course of six games.
However, coach Carlo Ancelotti has yet to unearth the maximum potential of his squad, as injuries to key players and some notable absentees have prevented Real Madrid from flexing their muscles.
Arriving this summer on a six-year contract, Arda Guler has not been fortuitous enough to don the Royal White jersey yet, owing to a knee injury he endured early in the pre-season tour of the US.
But after missing out on the initial stages of the campaign, his return is closer than ever.
Arda Guler aching to make his debut
Indeed, as per Diario AS, he has fully recovered from his injury and is close to playing his first match for Real Madrid.
The Turkish sensation cannot wait to play and apparently will be back with the group on Monday as he can finally shake off the rust and be reintegrated within the squad dynamics.
Guler has missed some important games in La Liga thus far, as well as the Champions League opener versus Union Berlin, which Madrid won with a late Bellingham strike.
However, the season is still long, and the 18-year-old will finally be able to participate in the upcoming matches, with El Clasico also on the horizon.
Oozing talent
After a thorough investigation, the Madrid sports management came to the conclusion that Guler would be a suitable attacking addition who is poised to fit the team dynamics like a glove.
As a result, everyone at the club is excitedly anticipating his return from injury because he will have plenty of possibilities this season.
The player garnered immense attention in the summer transfer window and Real Madrid are thus looking forward to seeing him in action.
