At the end of the 2022-23 season, Real Madrid bid farewell to four players: Eden Hazard (number 7), Karim Benzema (number 9), Marco Asensio (number 11), and Mariano Diaz (number 24). As a result, these shirt numbers at the Spanish royal club need new owners. Particularly, 3 out of 4 of these shirt numbers are considered iconic, making their new recipients highly anticipated.
At the moment, the official Real Madrid website announced the new owners of the number 7 and number 11 shirts. Specifically, Vinicius Jr will don the number 7 jersey, while his compatriot Rodrygo Goes will wear the number 11. This recognition is well-deserved for the talented young Brazilian duo, particularly Vinicius Jr after an impressive season. With 23 goals and 18 assists in 55 matches, Vinicius Jr is even regarded as Real Madrid’s best player of the season.
Vinicius Jr joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 for a fee of 46 million euros, becoming the most expensive teenage player in the world. In his 5 seasons wearing the Real Madrid shirt, Vinicius Jr has played 225 matches and scored 59 goals, including 45 goals in the last two seasons. Thanks to his remarkable form, the Brazilian forward has been entrusted with the iconic number 7 shirt, previously worn by illustrious names such as Raymond Kopa, Emilio Butragueno, Raul Gonzalez, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Vinicius Jr is expected to outshine his predecessors who wore the number 7, namely Mariano Diaz and Eden Hazard.
Meanwhile, the number 11 shirt will be awarded to Rodrygo Goes, a player younger than Vinicius (by 1 year). This winger also had an impressive season, scoring 19 goals and providing 11 assists in 57 matches. He has played a total of 165 matches and scored 37 goals in the past four seasons.
Currently, Real Madrid still has the number 9 shirt left vacant by Benzema. According to experts in the field, this shirt number is being reserved for players like Harry Kane and, further down the line, young superstars such as Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe.
