From Best to Ronaldo, a great football novel by Luigi Potacqui

Numbers in football are not just numbers. If 10 means talent, inspiration, genius to Maradona and Roberto Baggio to be clear, 7 is sacredness, mystery, magic.

At one time the 7 stood out on the back of every right wing. Tightrope players, like Brazilians Garrincha or Jair, often fickle, sometimes in precarious balance, but always damn exciting. Today, the shirt is worn above all by footballers capable of giving infinite emotions on the wing, but it is also sported by lethal and dominant forwards like Cristiano Ronaldo.

Luigi Potacqui in his Settimo cielo (Sonzogno, 2022, Euro 15.90, pp. 208. Also Ebook) gives numbers 7 a real adventure novel. It makes them rise to the fore, bringing to the center of the scene, in addition to the memorable moments on the pitch, their personal parables, made of victories and defeats, of certainties and fears, of peaks of glory and inexorable falls. Because, from George Best's rebellious talent to Cristiano Ronaldo's tidy genius, wearing number 7 is both a great honor and an immense responsibility. We then ask Luigi Potacqui to tell us what is so special about the 7th numbers of football:

“I believe that after number 10, 7 is the most iconic number in football. It has been and is worn by many champions who have contributed and contribute to writing history and making this sport magical. You can't help but fall in love with the plays of Cristiano Ronaldo, Cantona, Figo, Raul, Beckham, Shevchenko ... Or the magic (and even a bit of melancholy) that surrounds the stories, of football and life, of the Garrincha, of George Best, dei Gigi Meroni ... Even if I could not live the era of the latter for personal reasons, and there are no high quality videos of all the matches available as now, for a 'sick' of football like me it was not heavy studying books, articles, documents of the past or seeing documentaries and films of the time to be able to admire them, to be able to know them. I admit that it was a beautiful journey to enter and live their stories in a certain sense. I hope I have managed to convey it in my novel ”.

It starts with Best and ends with Ronaldo, two very different players ... how has the role of the numbers 7 and football changed in the decades that separate these two champions?

“As I also report in the book, before the numbers broke away from the roles on the pitch, the 7 stood out rigorously on the back of each right wing. Over time, however, the tradition of numbers combined with the role has practically disappeared. Today, the 7 is also sported by lethal attackers. A mix of elusive poets, bizarre idealists or real goal machines, which in my opinion make the number 7 even more fascinating ”.

In his previous book, The Magic of Number 10, he told us about the great number 10s of football. How are the numbers 10 different from the numbers 7?

"Initially in the role: when the numbers were assigned in a rigid way, obviously the position on the pitch was different between 10 and 7. Now let's say that they are the numbers most worn by the great 'attacking midfielders', attacking or strikers, which unites them Very. For me, for the many football geniuses and artists who have worn them, they are undoubtedly the most fascinating numbers in football ".

What was the strongest number 7 in history? And what is your favorite instead?

"I have never honestly loved this type of question, whatever the context. The strongest or the greatest in history, in any field, is impossible to say objectively and unambiguously: everyone has their preferences. Here, I can answer to the second question and tell her which one is my favorite, although I admit I really love them all (as well as 10). Maybe Garrincha is the one with the most incredible story, so he definitely wins among the 7 that I have not lived. Matt Le Tissier, on the other hand, is among those I have been able to admire, for me he is the most romantic. A bit like in the 10 I loved Rui Costa madly, in the 7 I have always been hypnotized by this magician from the Island of Guernsey, which increases the magic around him: he is probably the only native of those areas to have reached the highest levels of football. Le Tissier, for me, was like a fictional character in those fantastic tales they told me to make me fall asleep as a child ... cre I owe it to my eyes ".

What will the next book number be after 10 and 7?

“First of all, we hope that Settimo cielo will also have the success of The magic of number 10 and that it will be liked as much as the first one. On the contrary, I take the responsibility to say that the one about 7 is even better written. Then let's see if we write another one. There are many ideas, but in my opinion there is a third number that has been worn and represents many other great champions, among the most loved and 'prolific' ever. You can already imagine what it is… ”.