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The # 7 football jersey has a weight. Liverpool named a stand after Kenny Dalglish, who was numbered with distinction. At Manchester United, Eric Cantona changed the course of the club's history in the 1990s by wearing the jersey number.
It could be argued that the shirt number has unparalleled meaning at Real Madrid. The most emblematic players of the club have worn the jersey. Among them, Juanito, whose name is still in serenity at the European Cup nights at the seventh minute of at most a quarter of a century since he died in a car accident, and Emilio Butragueno, who has lent its nickname to a famous generation of players, La Quinta del Buitre – and Raul.
And, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has overtaken Raul as the club's top scorer in less than half the number of games played, before leaving the Spanish capital this summer for Juventus.
Mariano Diaz enters the void left by Ronaldo. Real bought it during the off-season in Lyon for € 23 million, a figure reduced by 35% due to a Madrid buyout clause on its rights.
It's an intimidating coat that the attacker has to assume. Many Madrid fans were disappointed when club president Florentino Perez did not sign a contract, like Eden Hazard, who was linked to the club during the summer, to replace Ronaldo. While the memory of Lassana Diarra wearing the club's No. 10 jersey for the club was not very positive, it is not the same.
Mariano scored a magnificent goal against Roma in his "second start" for Real Madrid on WednesdayManu Fernandez / Associated Press / Associated Press
"I do not think that wearing number 7 will be a problem for Mariano," said Raymond Domenech, former Lyon player and manager, who also led France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. I've looked at it, it's the type of striker who does not seem to have any pressure.He still wants the ball.He impressed me by his ability to fight.C & # 39; is a fighter … he was not afraid to try. " He gives a team spirit, when we have a fighter like that, we follow him, in Lyon, it's an example for that.
"For him, taking the No. 7 jersey at Real Madrid will be a problem for his fans because when they see him dribble with the ball, it's not Ronaldo.If they compare Mariano to Ronaldo, it will be a problem for [[[[their]. "
One of the attributes that Mariano shares with Ronaldo is self-confidence, which allowed him to score 18 goals last season for Lyon in Ligue 1. His strike rate was comparable to that of Mario Balotelli in Nice and Radamel Falcao to Monaco. than the 13 goals in the league recorded by Paris Saint-Germain Kylian Mbappe.
"I understand that Mariano wanted the number 7," said Alex Kirkland, who works as a presenter for Real Madrid TV. "It was not something that was imposed on him, he had the opportunity to wear No. 7, and he replied," Yes, please. " I'll take it. "It comes down to the kind of character he is, he has so much confidence in his abilities.
"It's something that could be a burden for a lot of players, for a different type of personality, but I do not think it's one of those guys." He's on the contrary – he'll take advantage of the chance to wear number 7. " It's an admirable quality: he says, "I'm going to take the weight of the story associated with this number and make it mine. This is an indication of his strength of character. "
Kirkland compares Mariano's explosive playing style – fast, strong and a direct runner – to Brazilian Ronaldo, while stressing that he's not yet at this level.
"It's a matador, a scorer," said Pablo Perez, a journalist at El Pais. "The only idea he has between the eyebrows is the idea of scoring a goal – he's a box player – obviously, if you're a Real Madrid player, you have talent, but he's not As skilled as Karim Benzema, get out of the box, he can not play combined football like Benzema, play wall passes, and so on.
"At the technical level, he is below Marco Asensio, Isco, Luka Modric, but what Julen Lopetegui asks him to do is to score goals, which is the kind of player that allows him to unlock a tight match. "
Mariano goes home. As a teenager, he joined Real Madrid's youth academy in 2011, after growing up in Premia de Mar, a Catalan seaside town located less than an hour's drive from the city of Barcelona.
As a child, he spent a few years at the Espanyol canter. He made his mark in Madrid during a dominant season with Castilla, the club's reserve team, when he scored 27 goals in 33 games in Segunda B's Spanish division in the 2015-16 season. His timing was perfect, his future at the club being in the balance.
Mariano has proved a great success in LyonJEFF PACHOUD / Getty Images
"It's a player I've been since coming to Real Madrid," said Perez. "The most surprising thing of his career was the renewal of his contract with the club in January 2016. The previous season with Castilla (2014-15), he did not seem to stay at the club, it's a fact that the club He did not notice it, he was about 22 years old and he was not part of the plans of Real Madrid.Head, he should not continue in Madrid or think about playing in the first team.
"That summer 2015, Rafa Benitez, as manager, had highlighted in red the name of Borja Mayoral, as a possible forward for the first team." Mariano then went out and scored a record number of goals For Castilla this season, spend two weeks during the Christmas holiday in doubt, wondering if he would find a club in the first division, he received a call from the club in January 2016. They gave him a contract Renewal for five years, first big contract, that changed his career. "
Mariano was sold to Lyon in the summer of 2017, having only managed to secure limited first-team opportunities during the reign of Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid manager. In Lyon, he flourished as part of a young and exciting trident attack with Memphis Depay and Nabil Fekir.
In the depths of Mariano's mind, however, were still thoughts of possible return to Real Madrid, Kirkland said.
"After having played in the youth league at Real Madrid and being part of the first team, then leaving the club and going to Lyon, many players could have thought:" OK, I had my time at Real Madrid: Maybe I did not quite succeed, I will continue my career elsewhere, but he was consistent saying, "No, I did not finish at Real Madrid. My goal is to play well so that the club can bring me back. I'm going to impress them enough, "Kirkland notes.
"During the summer, when the media reported that Mariano had refused the opportunity to return to Real Madrid, he tweeted (in Spanish) "You do not say" No "to Real Madrid." He was very determined to win the right to return. "
The last two numbers 7 of Real Madrid: Raul and Cristiano RonaldoPaulo Duarte / Associated Press
Now it's his time. He is 25 years old. He's not old, but he's younger. For example, Mauro Icardi, of Inter Milan, is the same age as Mariano, and he has already been the top scorer in Serie A twice. Depay, his former strike partner in Lyon, is one year younger than Mariano, but has already made 39 international matches for the Netherlands. Mariano has not yet been capped for Spain (although he has a cap for the Dominican Republic, his mother's country).
"The age of 25 is not old, but it's the end of the young player," Domenech said. "When you're 25, you're no longer a young player, you're a player, it's different when you're 22, 23, or 24. You can not say, someday he'll be a good player. " & # 39; Mariano must be a good player now, we can not think he is a great player in three or four years. "
Mariano must seize his chance-Whe gets it Kirkland says that Mariano will have his chances, as will former forwards like Chicharito and Alvaro Morata, who both scored important goals for the club. It's a long season and Madrid has battles on several fronts, including the FIFA Club World Cup.
Mariano must take his place in the hierarchy behind the top players Gareth Bale, Benzema and Asensio. Vinicius Jr., who has scored again for Castilla this weekend and is training in Madrid for the UEFA Champions League for the season, is also hovering behind the scenes.
"I think he'll only play five minutes here, 10 minutes over there, and probably the Spanish Cup matches," said Domenech, "but when we see the kind of players playing at Real Madrid, will be really hard for him to play. "
That's true, but it seems that Mariano will take advantage of these brief opportunities. He made a big statement at the Madrid opening match of his Champions League defense against AS Roma on Wednesday. He left the bench on his first start under Lopetegui scoring a scintillating goal in stoppage time.
It was a goal worthy of Ronaldo and other major issues in the history of Real Madrid.
Follow Richard on Twitter: @ Richard_Fitz
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