Diaz Cools Down Real Madrid No. 7 Pressure

By Harry Morgan

Real Madrid's new acquisition, Mariano Diaz, admits there is pressure in wearing the club's iconic number seven shirt but says he chose the number because it is his favorite.

Mariano, who graduated from the Real Madrid academy, was sold to Olympique Lyon last season, and the Spanish giants activated a buyback clause this summer to bring him back to Spain.

The 20-year-old Dominican Republic player picked the iconic number-seven jersey won by legends Luis Figo, Raul, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club with the record as the club's highest goal scorer and four Champions League titles.

“I don’t think it matters much. Does it add some pressure? Sure. But it was free and it’s a number I like and a challenge for me. I’m happy to wear that number after so many legends like Amancio, Juanito, Butragueño, Raul...I saw them play when I was young. And Ronaldo, sure," Diaz told Cadena COPE in an interview on Wednesday night.

"It was free for someone to take, every Madrid fan knows it and they asked me what number I was going to take. I imagine somebody else could’ve taken it, I don’t know if they wanted to but I don’t think they didn’t dare to take it. There are some quality players who could wear 7 here as well,” said Mariano.

Marco Asensio has plans to change his jersey number from 20, said recently he would change his number 20 sooner or later but has not mentioned if the target is the number-seven jersey.

“He didn’t say anything about it and I’ve been talking with him lately. I congratulated him for the two golazos he scored. We really get along, he’s a very good friend. What would I do if he asked me to change numbers? Well, I don’t know, it’s not a huge deal."

"People talked to me about it, saying I should not take it, telling me that it brings pressure with it...Everything. I’m not thinking about it, all I’m thinking of is training every single day so that I can play minutes,” added the attacker.

Mariano is yet to make his debut for Real Madrid, but he insists he is working hard to make Julian Lopetegui’s team.

“I don’t know when I’ll make my debut. I work so that it can be as soon as possible. I will just keep working hard. Lopetegui told me to keep doing what I’m doing right now."