It seems that Cristiano Ronaldo has caused a curse within Real Madrid, and the talk here is about the number 7 shirt, which, since Don’s departure from the Royal Club in the summer of 2018, has become synonymous with bad luck.
Ronaldo began his career with Real Madrid wearing the number 9 shirt in appreciation of the presence of the legend Raul Gonzalez and wearing the number 7 shirt. He then wore the number 7 shirt from 2010 until he left in 2018, and during that period he achieved unforgettable achievements and numbers that are difficult to approach, and since his departure no one has succeeded in to be like "Don", especially when he wore his previous shirt.
When Ronaldo left Real Madrid for the Italian Juventus, Florentino Perez decided to give his historic shirt to Mariano Diaz, who joined the Merengues in the same summer from Lyon, and Real Madrid paid 21 million euros for him at the time.
In his first season after returning to the Santiago Bernabeu, and wearing the number 7 shirt, Mariano suffered 4 different injuries throughout the season, and he failed miserably to live up to expectations in terms of performance, after scoring only 4 goals and participating in a total of 19 matches in all tournaments.
The 2018-2019 season was very volatile for Real Madrid. It started with coach Julen Lopetegui, then he was dismissed and brought in by Santiago Solari, who did not complete the season and was also dismissed to be succeeded by Zinedine Zidane in his second term.
With the arrival of Zidane came the dream deal for all Real Madrid fans, which was the signing of Eden Hazard. The Spanish club acquired him for 100 million euros, and he was given the historic number 7 shirt, and hopes were huge that he would fill Ronaldo’s void in the Spanish capital.
But Hazard was perhaps one of Real Madrid's worst deals throughout the twenty-first century. The Belgian was injured nearly 20 times, and did not provide anything significant. After 4 years, his contract was terminated by mutual consent and he announced his retirement from football.
With the start of the 2023-2024 season, Vinicius Junior decided to get the cursed No. 7 shirt, and before that, the Brazilian had only suffered two injuries throughout his career.
At the beginning of the season, Vinicius injured his right thigh in the Celta Vigo match, causing him to be sidelined for a month. Then he returned again and began to shine relatively and get closer to his usual level. He suffered a second injury during his participation with the Brazilian national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Vinicius' new injury is long, as a result of which he will be absent for two or three months, leaving Real Madrid in a difficult phase of the season, and becoming the latest victim of the "Cristiano Ronaldo curse."
Throughout history, the No. 7 shirt was worn by many Real Madrid legends, such as Raul and Raymond Kopa, but Ronaldo’s influence was greater and greater, and as he did at Manchester United and before that at Sporting Lisbon, he left a curse on his previous shirt, and it is not known when it will end!
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