The Manchester United No. 7 shirt has a certain mythical quality. Wearing the shirt is by no means a guarantee of success—witness Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen as Angel Di Maria's numerical predecessors.
However,
it is not just that United have had a lot of good No. 7s, although they
have, it is that some of the club's most iconographic, and
iconoclastic, players have worn that number.
Its
imagery is imbued with the spirit of George Best and of Eric Cantona,
with the brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo and the determination of Bryan
Robson. For those who would deny the cult of numbers it is meaningless,
but to millions of fans it represents something special.
Closest
to a place on the list of those who missed out is Billy Meredith, a No.
7 from the early 20th century who helped United win two league titles
and an FA Cup. Never having seen even footage of him playing makes
ranking him a difficult job, but he was a superstar of the day.
In
truth, ranking the shirt's occupants is an impossible task. They played
in different eras—how would Best have fared if he had access to the
kind of training regimen that Ronaldo benefited from? They also played
in different positions. There are wingers, midfielders and
centre-forwards on the list, and those who sort of played in all of
those positions at once, such was their brilliance.
The
top four here could be rearranged into any order with perfectly
reasonable justification. There will be those who argue that my personal
biases have affected the ordering, and they are right, but this is
about more than just rational football analysis. It is about
iconography. It is about magic.
It is about the No. 7 shirt at Manchester United.
Angel Di Maria
It might seem too early to include Di Maria on this list, but in terms of absolute quality, there is no doubt he belongs.
Whether he is able to maintain that quality at United is yet to be seen, but it seems very likely that he will. This list of staggering statistical achievements reached by Di Maria is a nice indicator of what an absolutely outstanding player he is.
Di
Maria is electrifying to watch, making him a good match for the shirt's
legacy. In his short time at United, he has made a substantial impact,
and if he remains injury free and plays at United for a significant
length of time, he will inch his way up the rankings of United's No. 7s.
Steve Coppell
As this article on the club's official website states, Steve Coppell's most remarkable characteristic was his consistency.
The article quotes Tommy Docherty, who brought Coppell to the club, saying:
Steve was one of the best players I ever had the privilege of working with. I loved having him in my team because, as a manager, he gave you peace of mind. I never had to worry about him having a bad game, because he just didn't have them. He was as reliable as a number 27 bus.
He
scored 70 goals in 396 appearances for United, not a bad return for an
out-and-out winger. He arrived at United in 1977 and stayed until his
career was ended by injury in 1983. He was a huge fan-favourite, and
justifiably so. He was a regular for England, earning 42 caps and
playing in the 1982 World Cup.
His understated
persona may not have been a natural match for the No. 7 shirt, but his
output most certainly was. To Reds of a certain age, Coppell will always
remain a hero.
David Beckham
It sometimes feels that because of David Beckham's
global ubiquity as a "brand," his footballing ability is underrated.
The truth is, he was an absolutely magnificent player for Manchester
United.
His set pieces were among the finest
and most consistent in football history, let alone United's. But that
was not all he had to his game.
A compilation
of all Beckham's goals for United (and there were plenty of them, as
well as countless assists) demonstrates two things. The first is that
many of the goals he scored were as pretty as he was.
The
second is that he was a genuine "big-game player." His international
career demonstrated that on occasion—that iconic goal against Greece to
qualify for the 2002 World Cup, for example.
But
United achieved far more than England ever did during his career there,
and Beckham was at the heart of much of it. He scored against Tottenham
in the game that clinched the league title during the treble season.
Then,
with the most astonishing amount of pressure on his not-yet tattooed
shoulders, he delivered two perfect corners in injury time of the
Champions League final, to spectacular effect. David Beckham was a
phenomenal player, and he deserves his place in the pantheon of United
greats.
Bryan Robson
It
is at this point that the players on the list become very difficult to
separate. All of the remaining four would be perfectly acceptable
choices for the No. 1 spot, either in terms of their impact, their
quality or both.
Bryan Robson was a light in the darkness for Manchester United in the 1980s.
The
captain of club and country, Robson was a beacon of endeavour and
ability in a side whose high-points were wonderful—FA Cup success in
1985 for example—but whose inability to match Liverpool and Everton's relentless consistency in the league was endlessly frustrating.
Robson
lifted the players around him, though, and survived the transition from
Ron Atkinson to Sir Alex Ferguson. He lifted the European Cup Winners'
Cup in 1991, and, gloriously, was still at the club when Ferguson began
to get into the habit of winning league titles.
A
box-to-box midfielder, Robson scored, tackled and just generally bossed
games. He was an absolutely magnificent player on whose efforts much of
what came later was partially built.
Eric Cantona
Eric
Cantona is my all-time favourite footballer. I would argue that he is
the main reason that the shirt number has the mystique it does, as no
player did mystique like Cantona. Although this list shows just how many
extraordinary players have worn that number, Cantona may have had the
single greatest impact.
I have previously written about Cantona's importance to Sir Alex's United here.
He was a talismanic figure, but he was also a magnificent footballer,
capable of heart-stopping magic. He would often score crucial goals,
winners and equalisers, including the winner in an FA Cup final against
Liverpool.
Cantona was a team player—although he was no stranger to personal glory—providing assists and lifting his team-mates. His swagger imbued the rest of the team with confidence.
The
only reason he is not No. 1 here is because of the outrageous level of
individual ability of the two men above him on the list. He will,
however, always be No. 1 in my heart.
George Best
George
Best arrived in Manchester at the age of 15, made his first-team debut
at 17, won his first league title at 19 and lifted the European Cup a
week after his 22nd birthday. It was an almost vertical trajectory of
success, and in that context the personal difficulties he faced in later
life make good sense.
Best's name is still
sung on the Old Trafford terraces; he's the only player from the Sir
Matt Busby era to regularly receive that honour. His statue stands
outside the ground, arms around Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton; their
the only three players to receive that honour.
When
you watch footage of him playing, on muddy pitches, facing brutal
challenges from defenders who could never hope to match him for pace or
skill, it is breathtaking. He scored beautiful goals, crucial goals,
tap-ins and lobs that defied logic. He lit up the crowd when he set off
on a run.
Best stands among the all-time great
United No. 7s, but he also stands among the all-time greats of the
sport. Sir Matt Busby's famous line about his team talks sums Best's
impact up perfectly.
‘It was a very simple team talk. All I used to say was: “Whenever possible, give the ball to George Best."' -Matt Busby
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 23, 2014
Cristiano Ronaldo
This
is not a list of the most impactful or most important players to ever
wear the No. 7. This is a list of the best. And Cristiano Ronaldo has
every right to be called the best.
He wore the
shirt while he was still developing into the player he was to become,
and his early years were patchy. However, it was in that shirt that he
first laid claim to being considered the best in the world.
He
won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 on the back of United's stunning Champions
League and Premier League double, and he certainly deserved it.
He scored goals that seemed to defy physics and was incredibly direct and purposeful.
He left for Real Madrid and probably got even better, making his eye-watering transfer fee seem like a bargain for the club who acquired him.
In
terms of output and sheer personal ability, Ronaldo might be the best
player to have ever played for United. In the modern era, there is no
doubt that he is. He is worthy of his place atop this list.
Sumber: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2237968-ranking-the-7-best-players-to-wear-manchester-uniteds-no-7-shirt
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