After Real Madrid shocked many when they handed new striker Mariano Diaz, whom they sold last season, the No. 7 shirt previously worn by Cristiano Ronaldo, here are the other Los Blancos stars who have worn the iconic jersey number.
Click through the gallery to see other Real stars who wore the No. 7 jersey.
Diaz returned to the Santiago Bernabeu after Real activated their buyback clause for the striker, who scored 21 goals in 48 appearances during his one season at Olympique Lyon.
The 25-year-old scored five times in 14 senior games for the club previously, and has big boots to fill after being given the No. 7 shirt.
"The number 7 is not the most important thing for me. I am very proud to have a number worn by legends like (Emilio) Butragueno. Ultimately, it was just a number that was free, and that filled me with great anticipation," he said at his unveiling, as quoted by RealTotal.
Meanwhile, club president Florentino Perez welcomed Diaz back to the club, saying he should become a role model for other players in Real's academy.
"Coming back home is a young player for whom we have had real hope for a number of years," Perez said, as quoted by the club's official website.
"He's shown his quality and his talent over the last year in the French league and he's earned this opportunity to once again be part of the Real Madrid first team.
"There's nothing more satisfying for the millions of madridista fans across the world than seeing one of our very own coming home after showing the quality he possesses."
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Diaz has big boots to fill as he gets the iconic shirt number previously worn by two all-time record goalscorers for the club.
Ronaldo netted 450 times in 438 games before joining Juventus, and he replaced Raul Gonzalez Blanco as Real's top scorer. The Spaniard scored 324 goals in 741 appearances for the club.
Click through the gallery above to see other Real legends who have worn the iconic shirt number for the club, and let us know, in the comments section below, whether or not you think Mariano will live up to the expectations of the famous shirt.
