Cristiano Ronaldo broke Manchester United’s daily shirt sale record in less than four hours after it was confirmed he would retain his iconic No 7 jersey.
The Portugal forward secured a long-awaited return to Old Trafford in August and is currently isolating ahead of his first visit to Carrington, expected to be on Thursday.
As United confirmed Ronaldo will wear No 7 on Thursday, fans dashed online to secure a replica and it only took four hours to smash the record as the highest daily sale on a single sports merchandise site outside North America.
Fanatics, United’s official retail partner, confirmed the shirt sales hit record figures and the first hour alone bettered the best full day of global sales for the club’s online store.
Across the Fanatics network, Ronaldo became the biggest-selling player in the 24 hours following a transfer to a new club – leading Lionel Messi (to PSG), Tom Brady (to Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and LeBron James (to LA Lakers).
It was not only on the internet that Ronaldo’s newly-printed shirt was in demand – United’s club store at Old Trafford was also a popular destination on Friday morning as fans queued to get their hands on the number.
