Celtic winger James Forrest has said that it would be “unbelievable” to wear the number seven jersey at Parkhead.
Forrest has had another sensational campaign at Celtic this season. He’s managed 22 goals in 61 appearances, and has bagged both the PFA and SFWA Player of the Year awards. It’s been, by some distance, his most productive campaign in green-and-white.
Meanwhile, the number seven jersey continues to be on the sidelines for now. The last player to wear it, Nadir Ciftci, was hardly a success. Celtic have had a torrid time in finding the suitable quality to wear the jersey too. In past years, the likes of Ciftci, Miku, Freddie Ljungberg, and Juninho haven’t done the shirt justice.
Forrest spoke to the Scotsman about the possibility of him swapping shirt 49 for the fabled seven. And whilst admitting it would be major shoes to step into with the likes of Jimmy Johnstone and Henrik Larsson, Forrest did hint that he was open to the challenge.
“I think they always keep seven for big signings and such.
“That would be unbelievable [to have it] but, naw, I’m happy with 49. Maybe I’ll ask the question. I don’t [really] think you can go in and ask for seven. If you do get offered it… I think they do keep it for signings and that. And I’m happy with that.
“I remember when Lennon was here the first time he said I could have swapped my number. But I just felt that coming through that was my number and I’d seen players older than me, like McGeady and Darren O’Dea, had always kept their number and I think it just stuck with me.”
Would it add unnecessary pressure
Like it or not, the iconic seven jersey at Parkhead has also proven to be something of a curse. Such have been the disappointments of the likes of Miku and Ciftci, to name a couple, players have struggled to live up to the greats that preceded them.
Swapping number 49 for seven feels like putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. Forrest would be as well steering clear of the number for now. He’s performing at his peak with 49 on his back, and he would be as well thinking of it as his lucky number.
You don’t have to wear number seven to become a legend. The likes of Billy McNeill, Chris Sutton, and Scott Brown have all played in different eras with different squad numbers. All of those three are considered heroes of the club. McNeill is perhaps the most iconic Celt to have ever featured for the Hoops. He did it wearing number five.
So there’s no need for Forrest to rock the boat and put pressure on himself. He continues to make waves wearing number 49, there’s no need for change at this moment in time.
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