Ronaldo ditches No.7 sports new number in Al Nassr camp

During Al Nassr’s preseason training, superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo was spotted wearing a different number than the typical No.7 that has been associated with him for most of his career and has inspired the moniker CR7. 

Al Nassr are in the thick of pre-season in Portugal as they prepare to dethrone Al-Ittihad for the Saudi Pro League title, with new signings like Joao Felix. 

The club have published some of their pictures from pre-season, as have some of their players, such as Ronaldo. In some of Ronaldo's Instagram posts, he was draped in orange and yellow bibs with the number 9 boldly written on them. 

However, it is unlikely Ronaldo is departing from the No.7 that has been associated with his brand, as he wore No.7 during Al Nassr's 2-1 pre-season friendly triumph over Toulouse. Also, he famously loathed wearing the No.9 at Real Madrid before Raul’s exit freed up his preferred No.7. 

Cristiano’s two-and-a-half seasons at Al Nassr have seen him miss out on three league titles—two to Al Hilal and one to Al Itihad. The lack of silverware was rumoured to be a source of frustration, and Ronaldo was reportedly seeking an exit from Faris Najd.

However, he announced during the last international break that he would continue at Al Nassr, and he subsequently put pen to paper for a two-year deal. 

The former Sporting Lisbon star is ready for the new season, and he declared his intent via the caption of the Instagram post containing his pre-season pictures. "The hunger never fades. Still work to do and we're just getting started."