Though Raheem wore No.31 at Liverpool, he’ll be wearing a shirt number traditionally associated with talented wide men as our list of past greats proves.
So here’s some of the players who have donned the lucky number seven...
Mike Summerbee
443 appearances, 67 goals
‘Buzzer’ wore the No.7 shirt throughout his first campaign with City in 1965/66 and continued the following season, occasionally switching to the No.9 shirt and playing as a centre-forward rather than out on the right.
In 1967/68, Summerbee began with No.7, but it was taken on by Francis Lee and he didn’t return to the number until 1969/70 and remained as the Blues’ No.7 until 1975.
Peter Barnes
159 appearances, 22 goals
Peter Barnes first wore the No.7 shirt in 1975 during a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough and he continued throughout the majority of the 1975/76 campaign.
He sporadically appeared in the same number during the 1976/77 season but swapped between seven and No.11 in 1977/78, with new signing Mick Channon taking it on later that season and for the next season as well.
David White
339 appearances, 96 goals
David White used his electric pace to great effect during his eight-year spell with City. White played almost exclusively in the No.7 shirt throughout his stay and played both as a right-winger and a striker, forming a particularly productive partnership with Niall Quinn.
Stephen Ireland
176 appearances, 23 goals
Between 2005 and 2010, midfielder Stephen Ireland was a regular fixture in the City side. A creative play-maker, he never held the role as a wide right attacker.
His strengths were down the middle of the park where he created and scored numerous goals, earning the nickname ‘Superman’ along the way. Ireland almost exclusively wore the No.7 shirt while with City.
James Milner
202 appearances, 18 goals
James Milner took on the No.7 shirt vacated by Stephen Ireland in 2010 and wore it throughout his time with City. Milner has continued with the same number at Liverpool and, of course, Sterling has taken the No.7 shirt vacated by Milner’s departure.
Other notable No.7s
Georgi Kinkladze wore the number during his first season at City before opting for the coveted No.10 and Darren Huckerby also enjoyed a spell in #7.
Delving back into the Club’s history, one of the Blues’ greatest wingers, Billy Meredith, made the number his own during two spells with the Blues and other legendary figures such as Ernie Toseland, Peter Doherty and Billy Spurdle enjoyed spells as the #7.
And, of course, one of the greatest Spanish strikers of recent times, David Villa, currently occupies his favourite No.7 jersey for New York City FC.
Don’t forget if you want to see Raheem up close and personal, he will join the rest of the squad at this year’s City Live in August. Tickets available so don’t miss out.
