This number is taken
Both the number 7, Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic kit number, and the number 9, his back-up shirt, have owners at Juventus. If the forward moved to Italy, what number would he take?
The obvious response to this question is that Juan Cuadrado, who currently wears the 7, would be stripped of his number to make way for the big-name signing. However, it is possible that the Colombian could say no, even if it is Cristiano Ronaldo who is asking.
In this case we would turn to the 9, which Ronaldo wore when Raul was still at Madrid, but this number also has an owner: Gonzalo Higuain. Ronaldo's ex-teammate would probably be even less ready to give up his number than Cuadrado.
If both players are unwilling to make way for Cristiano's preference, we could see the Portuguese foward take a different jersey entirely. Maybe he'd turn to nostalgia and go back to the number 28, which he owned when he started off at Sporting Lisbon. Or the number 17, his first shirt for the Portuguese national team back in 2004.
But there are problems here too. 17 belongs to Mario Mandzukic at the moment, and the 28 is reserved for youth players. That being said, the Serie A may relax its rules, as it did when Ronaldinho took the number 80 at AC Milan.