Real Madrid have handed Mariano the number seven jersey, and this has upset a number of Los Blancos supporters who think that giving him such a prestigious number puts too much weight on his shoulders.
Madrid sold arguably their greatest ever player over the summer, to rivals Juventus. This topped with the fact that they are without Zinedine Zidane, who unexpectedly left the club after winning the Champions League with the side, means they are facing a period of uncertainty.
Los Blancos were linked with a number of big name stars over the transfer window. Players like Mohamed Salah, Eden Hazard, and Harry Kane were all linked with a move to the La Liga giants, but it came to nothing in the end.
Mariano has come back into the fold, however. The star was shipped out to Lyon but Madrid exercised their buy back clause and the 25-year-old has rejoined the side.
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However, Real Madrid fans are skeptical. They’re not sure that giving the player such a big number will do him any favours – and would surely just be heaping unnecessary responsibility on his shoulders. Some fans even commented that the club is setting the 25-year-old up for failure.
Famously, Cristiano Ronaldo requested to have the number 28 shirt at Man United, but Sir Alex Ferguson asked him to wear the number seven, and it worked. Ronaldo became a global superstar.