Real Madrid offered rising star Marco Asensio the vacant No.7 shirt following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure but he turned it down, claims Spanish outlet COPE.
Ronaldo made a shock £100m move to Juventus during the summer after nine years at the club and eight of those wearing the No.7 shirt.
Madrid were expected to hand the fabled number to Ronaldo’s replacement but the European giants failed to sign their primary targets, including Eden Hazard, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Julen Lopetegui’s side instead made a shock move to re-sign Mariano from Lyon and even more surprisingly handed the Spanish striker Ronaldo’s old number.
However, it has now been revealed that Mariano was not the club’s first choice incumbent for the shirt and that he was only awarded the number after Asensio turned down the honour.
Asensio is regarded as one of the brightest stars in Europe but has constantly been linked with a move away in the last few years.
The 22-year-old now expects to feature more frequently following Ronaldo’s departure and has started Madrid’s first three league games.
Asensio, who wears the No.20 shirt, has registered one assist so far this season but has an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.80.
