Some soccer players share a special affinity with numbers as both remain inseparable and become synonymous with each other. For example, the number 7 in football is exclusively reserved for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi always uses the number 10 jersey while playing for Argentina. Players attribute several reasons for sticking to a particular number, birthday, lucky charm etc. So, today, we will talk about a few soccer players who donned number 9 jerseys and made it big in the world of sport.
Ronaldo (Brazil & Clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Corinthians etc)
Whenever the name crops up it is only natural to conjure up the images of the Portuguese superstar. But in the 90s Brazil had unarguably one of the greatest strikers to have graced the game called Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, who was quite renowned in footballing circles as Ronaldo back then. In fact, he was part of the World Cup-winning Brazil squad of 1994 and 2002 and has scored 62 goals representing his country. A goal-scoring machine, Ronaldo happened to be one of the few footballers to have won the FIFA World Player of the Year award thrice.
Filippo Inzaghi (Italy & Clubs like Juventus, AC Milan etc)
Undoubtedly, one of the modern-day greats the Italian would have had a tough time managing his trophy cabinet as Inzaghi had been part of several momentous occasions in the game of football. FIFA World Cup 2007, two Champions League Titles, Two UEFA Super Cup and many more glories. He has to his credit 70 goals in European competitions and happens to be second best in the continental events. Internationally, he has netted 25 times as well.
Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina & clubs like Fiorentina, Roma, Boca Juniors etc)
Without a shred of doubt, Gabriel Batistuta happened to be one of the sensational strikers to emerge from Argentina. The 6-footer had 56 international goals from 78 appearances and he is second only to Messi in terms of finding the net for Argentina. Batistuta was also renowned for his unflinching loyalty toward Fiorentina. In 1993, when the club got downgraded to Serie B he stuck with it instead of deserting it for better prospects. In the year 2004, he broke into the FIFA 100 list of the top 125 greatest living footballers as well.
Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands & Clubs like Barcelona Ajax, AC Milan etc)
He had the highest number of goals for the Netherlands before Robin van Persie broke the record in 2013. He has made 79 appearances for his country and scored 40 goals for them. His best time came while he was employed with FC Barcelona as Kluivert alongside Brazil’s Rivaldo assisted the Catalan club greatly to defend the La Liga title in the year 1999. At the stroke of the millennium, ie. 2000, he went on to win Golden Boots at the Euros.
