Real Madrid No. 7 with 7 goals in 5 years! Mariano: Ronaldo’s number is too much pressure, Benzema has no chance with me

November 22nd, 32-year-old Alaves forward Mariano recently accepted an exclusive interview with TheAthletic and talked about his experience wearing No. 7 of Real Madrid.

In 2017, Mariano joined Lyon from Real Madrid for a transfer fee of 8 million euros. After a successful season with 21 goals and 6 assists in 45 games, Real Madrid spent 21.5 million euros to repurchase Mariano.

After Ronaldo left the team to join Juventus, Mariano took over Ronaldo's No. 7 jersey. After scoring 4 goals in 19 games in a season, Mariano handed the No. 7 jersey to Hazard. In 2023, Mariano joined Sevilla and returned to Real Madrid for 5 years, scoring 7 goals in 70 games.

Mariano said: "No. 7 may be the most important number for Real Madrid players, because legendary players such as Raul and Ronaldo have worn No. 7. I feel great to be able to wear this number, but at the same time it also puts a lot of pressure on me. I am not trying to replace Ronaldo's position, but this is still an important role."

"Benzema played very well at the time and was Real Madrid's absolute best. For the main player, I come on as a substitute when he is not in good condition. I have no choice but to take chances when he is not in good condition. I don’t know if anyone has seen some misleading media reports and has a different view of me. But Mariano is a hard-working and dedicated football player. This is the impression I want to leave to people.”