Ultimate ManU #7 player?

[Point forward]

Rank these players who wore #7 at ManU: George Best - Bryan Robson - Eric Cantona - David Beckham - Cristiano Ronaldo. IMHO everybody deserves to be #1, but also could fall to #5. Best had the highest peak (and the shortest), Robson was the ultimate English warrior (but had no international appeal), Cantona was the ultimate anti-hero (both + and -), Beckham the most marketable (but also mainstream²²) and Ronaldo probably the objectively best (but also not 100% dedicated to ManU).

My list: Best > Cantona > Robson > Ronaldo > Beckham

(I did not want to put it into the "Premier League" thread as the scope may be too limited.)

[Slava]

The United #7 is usually worn by the most creative player on the side. Someone very blessed and talismanic usually gets the honor. The list is in itself pretty illustrious and the manager has always made sure that the shirt went to the right player.

It did take me sometime to get to this but here's my list:

1. Eric Cantona: They called him King Cantona at Old Trafford and very much rightly so. He walked onto the pitch like he owned the damn place and his cockiness and confidence I believe is unrivalled in professional football history. Sure he saw his fair share of trouble but when he played on the pitch, he gave confidence to his teammates to the fans and to the manager. Eric Cantona is one of the greatest ever and the best #7 in United history.

2. George Best: One of the most talented footballers ever and if only he had spent enough time thinking about his football as he did on booze, cars and women, he'd have become the greatest ever alongside Pele and Maradona. I think its only fair that Pele calls george Best the greatest footballer ever.

3. Crisitano Ronaldo: He's got the creativity of George Best, the goal scoring ability of King Cantona and to go with all the arrogance, he's sweeping up every trophy and individual honor there is in football. if he continues his form and signs his next contract, he could move up to #2.

4. Bryan Robson: He was called "Captain Marvel" and the longest serving skipper in United history and he's still a tremendously respected figure at the club. the fans have always acknowledged his presence whenever he visited OT as the opposition manager and with his record, its just his creativity that puts him below the top 3.

5. David Beckham: He was never the best player on the pitch for United. Even from the group famously called "Fergie's Fledglings", he should be put below Scholes and Giggs in terms of sheer talent but he had the ability to capture the imagination of fans and his passing and famous dead ball skills are one of the best ever in the history of football. If he had stayed longer at United and captained the side, he could have a greater respect but I do not see him as better than the other 4.

[BlackMamba]

My list: Best > Cantona > Robson > Ronaldo > Beckham

i agree. i think that best makes honor to his name and i would put cantona real close to him. i really like cantona type of players, that with only the players personality you can crush and entire team, add to that his talent.

[El Turco]

this starts and ends with best. though, i dont think anybody enjoyed cantona s antics more i did. along with gazza, he made epl entertaining.

i would also take robson before ronaldo and beckham.

[UDRIH14]

Beckham at the jap/korean WC..if he was doing what he was doing in that tournament on a weekly basis in any league during his career, he wouldve been a better player than just a free-kick/passing specialist. His game totally change when he took the leadership in that tournament, instead of just setting passes and kicks, he was adding dribbling with the ball to his game which you rarely see him do in-games....

ronaldo is an arrogant showpony but he backs it up every time he scores....

[treiz]

The United #7 is usually worn by the most creative player on the side. Someone very blessed and talismanic usually gets the honor. The list is in itself pretty illustrious and the manager has always made sure that the shirt went to the right player.

It did take me sometime to get to this but here's my list:

1. Eric Cantona: They called him King Cantona at Old Trafford and very much rightly so. He walked onto the pitch like he owned the damn place and his cockiness and confidence I believe is unrivalled in professional football history. Sure he saw his fair share of trouble but when he played on the pitch, he gave confidence to his teammates to the fans and to the manager. Eric Cantona is one of the greatest ever and the best #7 in United history.

2. George Best: One of the most talented footballers ever and if only he had spent enough time thinking about his football as he did on booze, cars and women, he'd have become the greatest ever alongside Pele and Maradona. I think its only fair that Pele calls george Best the greatest footballer ever.

3. Crisitano Ronaldo: He's got the creativity of George Best, the goal scoring ability of King Cantona and to go with all the arrogance, he's sweeping up every trophy and individual honor there is in football. if he continues his form and signs his next contract, he could move up to #2.

4. Bryan Robson: He was called "Captain Marvel" and the longest serving skipper in United history and he's still a tremendously respected figure at the club. the fans have always acknowledged his presence whenever he visited OT as the opposition manager and with his record, its just his creativity that puts him below the top 3.

5. David Beckham: He was never the best player on the pitch for United. Even from the group famously called "Fergie's Fledglings", he should be put below Scholes and Giggs in terms of sheer talent but he had the ability to capture the imagination of fans and his passing and famous dead ball skills are one of the best ever in the history of football. If he had stayed longer at United and captained the side, he could have a greater respect but I do not see him as better than the other 4.

Great list, this would probably be mine as well.