5 famous players who donned the No.7 jersey at Juventus before Cristiano Ronaldo
He came into the spotlight the minute Sir Alex Ferguson handed him the famous No.7 jersey of Manchester United, one of the only few clubs where the No.7 jersey has more prominence over the No.10. He made it his own as he surpassed the previous owners of the jersey in a 6-year stint then moved to Real Madrid where he continued the legacy of the No.7 jersey handed over to him by Real Madrid legend Raul when he left for Schalke, thrashing all the records held by his predecessor in a 9-year stay with the 13-time Champions League winners. Now the legend from Madeira will look to continue his No7 legacy as well as start a No7 aura at Juventus, where the No 21 and No 10 jersey are considered the holy grail.
Before the Angelo Di Livio wore the No7 jersey for Juventus, the jersey number was assigned to the player according to the position he played in, with Antonio Conte, Didier Deschamps, Giancarlo Marocchi, Marco Tardelli all wearing the No7 during their respective Juventus career. Here we will see the players who were given the No7 jersey at the start of the season before being assigned a jersey number according to their position.
Without further ado let's take a look at the 5 famous owner's of the No7 jersey at Juventus.
#1 Franco Causio (1973/74 to 1980/81)
The Juventus legend and one of the first players ever to keep hold of the No7 jersey, Franco Causio was born on the 1st of February 1949 in Leece, Italy. "The Baron" as he was known started his footballing jersey at the native club Leece, debuting for them in the 1964/65 season in the Seria C before earning a move to Sambenedettese, in the same division, the very next season. The stint in Seria C didn't last long as the big boys of Italian football at that time, Juventus came calling for the young Italian.
The Baron, as he was called, made his debut for Juventus on the 21st of January 1968 in a match against Mantova FC before being loaned out for 2 seasons, first to Reggina, where he scored 5 goals in 30 appearances, and then to Palermo, where he scored 3 times in 22 appearances. The returning Baron, fit and looking for a better challenge started to his return journey slowly, making 20 appearances in the first season, mostly from the bench. The second season saw the exciting winger cementing onto a first-team place amid a strong midfield setup.
One of the best ever wingers ever to play the game for Juventus as well as Italy, Franco Causio was blessed with immense potential and versatility that enabled him to play in a wide range of positions on the midfield. Predominantly a right winger, Franco could also be utilized as an attacking midfielder, central midfielder, offensive playmaker and even also as a left winger due to his variety of attributes that include lightning-quick pace, technical ability, outstanding ball control, excellent dribbling and an ability to put accurate crosses from the flanks.
Nicknamed the Baron due to his stylish moves on the pitch as well as his rather well-educated up-bringing, Causio made 304 league appearances for the Old Lady of Turin scoring 49 goals before leaving at the end of the 1980/81 season to Udinese. The Trophies won by the Baron at Juventus include 6 Seria A titles, 1 Coppa Italia and 1 UEFA Cup (The first European trophy for Juventus).