Several Options For Ronaldo's Number If He Is A Manchester City Player: 28, 30 And 77

JAKARTA - Manchester City is one step away from getting Cristiano Ronaldo's signature. The Portuguese superstar asked Juventus to let him go.

Questions about the jersey number that will be used by Ronaldo at City then milled about. The reason is, Ronaldo's iconic number 7 jersey is currently worn by Raheem Sterling.

The only logical way Ronaldo could finish at number 7 is if Sterling changes his number, which is only possible if Gabriel Jesus leaves the club and the number 9 is taken by the England international.

There are rumors that Jesus could move to Juventus as part of the deal, but City are not looking to let go of the Brazilian star.

Then, what number will Ronaldo use at the Etihad? The following are the options that Dialy Star revealed.

Ronaldo wore the number 28 shirt at his boyhood club, Sporting Lisbon. He can choose this number just as Lionel Messi chose to use his previous number when he was a Paris Saint Germain player this summer.

Ronaldo has always shown love for his first professional club, and this could have influenced him to choose the number 28 if he joined City.

Lionel Messi broke Ligue 1 rules to take the number 30 shirt he wore when he started his career at FC Barcelona. Yes, this number can only be used for goalkeepers. But, for Messi's sake, Ligue 1 changed that rule.

At Manchester City, the same number is still available and Ronaldo can choose to take this number. If that happens, this is certainly interesting because together with Messi they both use a unique number.

The last City player to hold this jersey was Messi's Argentine teammate Nicolas Otamendi. Since the centre-back left City, the number 30 has not been used.

There is a possibility that if CR7 wants to remain associated with the number 7, he can add a number after his iconic number; 77, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan did during his Europa League campaign with Arsenal in 2018.

In the domestic league, Mkhitarayan wears the number 7 for the Gunners. But due to UEFA's decision, two different players cannot use the same number in the same campaign, with Alexis Sanchez previously wearing the number before the pair swapped clubs between United and Arsenal.

Although the situation is different, Ronaldo can choose to wear the number 77 with the unavailability of number 7. Yes, it is not impossible that the Portugal captain will later be nicknamed CR77.