Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham
Influence
Two Manchester United number sevens in a row: Beckham wore the shirt until he left for Real Madrid in 2003, and it passed to the Portuguese teenager who arrived that same summer. Both went on to be global brands as much as footballers.
How they met
They barely overlapped at the club — one was leaving as the other arrived; the number on the back is what links them.
The core tension
A number that was a badge of status for one had to be earned all over again by the other.
