. . . . "Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for ??12.24 million after the 2002???03 season.[13] He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham." . .