List of retired numbers in association football

Association football clubs around the world sometimes retire squad numbers to recognise players' loyal service, most as a memorial after their death.

Background edit

 
Signed jersey worn by Diego Maradona during his tenure on Italian club Napoli, exhibited at the San Siro Museum of Milan. The number 10 he wore was retired by Napoli in 2000.[1]

This practice, long established in the major North American sports, is a recent development in football elsewhere, since squad numbers for specific players were not widely used until the 1990s. Before then, it was typical for players in the starting lineup to be issued numbers 1 to 11 by formation/position on a match-by-match basis, and substitutes to be numbered from 12 upwards, meaning a player might wear different numbers during the season if they were to play in different positions for tactical reasons, or simply not be a regular in the starting lineup.

In contrast, in the American league NASL, players have always worn permanent numbers since its inception in 1967.[2] Moreover, Pelé's #10 was retired by the New York Cosmos during the farewell of the Brazilian star on 1 October 1977,[3] probably becoming the first number ever retired in association football.[4]

Mexico was a pioneer country in the use of permanent numbers in football; these were adopted in the Primera División in the 1980s.[5]

Retiring a player's shirt number usually occurs after the player has left the team or retired. It honours a player who has meant much to his club, and no other player is permitted to use that number in the future. In some cases, such as those of Jason Mayélé, Vittorio Mero, Marc-Vivien Foé, Miklós Fehér, Ray Jones, Dylan Tombides, François Sterchele, David di Tommaso, Antonio Puerta, Besian Idrizaj, Piermario Morosini and Davide Astori, numbers have been retired to posthumously honour a player who died while still active. Also, Norwegian club Fredrikstad retired Dagfinn Enerly's number following an on-pitch accident that left him paralysed. In Britain, only Bobby Moore's, Jack Lester's and Jude Bellingham's shirt numbers have been retired due to great service to the club as opposed to a tragic incident. Although it had not been officially retired, Gianfranco Zola's No. 25 shirt had not been reissued by Chelsea since he left the club in 2003 until re-issued to Moises Caicedo in 2023.[6]

The Argentina, Ecuador and Cameroon national teams have been prevented from retiring the numbers of Diego Maradona (10), Christian Benítez (11)[7] and Marc-Vivien Foé (17), respectively, by FIFA rules dealing with squad numbers for Finals tournaments; in other competitions, qualifiers or friendlies, national associations may assign numbers according to criteria of their choosing. Similarly, several clubs have been required to reissue retired numbers for continental club competitions due to squad numbering rules of continental confederations. For example, CAF[8] and CONMEBOL have such rules in their club competitions,[9] but CONCACAF does not.

Some South American teams (such as Universitario de Deportes and Flamengo, and even Mexican teams invited for the occasions) occasionally had to re-issue their retired numbers for special cases due to CONMEBOL rules, which stated that shirts had to be numbered 1–25/30 in continental club competitions (such as Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, among others), although nowadays clubs are not forced to number their players consecutively.

Retired numbers edit

Team No. Player Pos. Tenure Notes
  Godoy Cruz 18   Santiago García FW 2016–21 Posthumous[n3 1]
  Central Coast Mariners
19
  Matt Simon FW 2006–12, 2013–15, 2018–22 Club legend[14]
  Red Bull Salzburg
26
  Jonathan Soriano FW 2012–17 Club legend[15]
  Sturm Graz 3   Günther Neukirchner DF 1989–2006 Club legend
  Sturm Graz 7   Mario Haas FW 1993–2012 Club legend
  SV Ried 27   Sanel Kuljić FW 2003–06
  Club Brugge 23   François Sterchele FW 2007–08 Posthumous[16]
  Genk 16   Anele Ngcongca DF 2007–16 Posthumous
  OH Leuven 13   Bjorn Ruytinx FW 2004–14 Club legend
  UR Namur 3   Michel Soulier DF 1967–77 Posthumous
  Avaí 88   Cléber Santana MF 2012, 2013–14 Posthumous[17]
  São Paulo
01
  Rogério Ceni GK 1990–2015 Club legend.[n3 2]
  Lokomotiv Plovdiv
8
  Hristo Bonev MF 1963–67, 1968–79, 1982–84 Club legend
  Ludogorets Razgrad 84   Marcelinho MF 2011–20 Club legend
  CF Montréal 20   Mauro Biello FW 1993–98, 2000–09 Club legend
  Serbian White Eagles 9   Mike Stojanovic FW 1973–76 Club legend[19]
  Vancouver Whitecaps 10   Domenic Mobilio FW 1987–2001 Club legend[20]
  Cobreloa 8   Fernando Cornejo MF 1992–97, 2000–04 Posthumous
  Beijing Enterprises 24   Cheick Tioté MF 2017 Posthumous
  Beijing Guoan 13   Xu Yunlong DF 1999–2016 Club legend
  Chengdu Blades 18   Yao Xia FW 2005–10 Club legend
  Dalian Shide 26   Zhang Yalin MF 2000–09 Posthumous
  Dalian Transcendence 17   Wang Renlong FW 2014 Posthumous
  Heilongjiang Ice City 5   Ren Jianglong DF 2015–22 Posthumous
  Alajuelense 20   Mauricio Montero DF 1985–97 Club legend
  Cartaginés 11   Leonel Hernández FW 1957–1977 Club legend
  Anorthosis Famagusta
14
  Temur Ketsbaia MF 1991–94, 2002–09 Club legend
  Baník Ostrava 27   Milan Baroš FW 1998–01, 2013, 2014–15, 2017–20 Number retired in 2020[21]
  Dynamo České 8   Karel Poborský MF 1991–94, 2005–07 Club legend
  AaB 12   Torben Boye DF 1984–2002 Club legend
  Nordsjælland 26   Jonathan Richter MF 2005–09 After retirement[n3 3]
  Næstved BK 7   Rasmus Green MF 2005–06 Posthumous
  Viborg FF 22   Søren Frederiksen FW 1989–94, 1998, 2001–05
  Accrington Stanley
29
  Billy Kee FW 2009–10, 2015–20 Prematurely retired[n3 4]
  Birmingham City 22   Jude Bellingham MF 2019–20 [n3 5]
  Chesterfield 14   Jack Lester FW 2007–13 Club legend
  Hartlepool United 25   Michael Maidens MF 2004–07 Posthumous[23]
  Macclesfield Town 21   Richard Butcher MF 2010–11 Posthumous[24]
  Manchester City
23
  Marc-Vivien Foé MF 2002–03 Posthumous.[n3 6]
  Queens Park Rangers 31   Ray Jones FW 2006–07 Posthumous[23]
  Rushden & Diamonds 1   Dale Roberts GK 2008–10 Posthumous[25]
  West Ham United 6   Bobby Moore DF 1958–74 Posthumous[23]
  West Ham United 38   Dylan Tombides[26] FW 2010–14 Posthumous
  Wycombe Wanderers
14
  Mark Philo MF 2004–2006 Posthumous[n3 7]
  Clermont 14   Clément Pinault DF 2008–09 Posthumous
  Lens 17   Marc-Vivien Foé MF 1995–99 Posthumous
  Nantes 9   Emiliano Sala FW 2015–19 Posthumous[28]
  Nice 17   Kevin Anin MF 2012–13 Prematurely retired[n3 8]
  Rennes 29   Romain Danzé DF 2006–19 Club legend[30]
  Saint-Étienne 24   Loïc Perrin DF 2003–20 Club legend
  Sedan 29   David di Tommaso DF 2000–04 Posthumous
  Wacker Burghausen 11   Marek Krejčí FW 2004–07 Posthumous
  VfL Wolfsburg 19   Junior Malanda MF 2012–15 Posthumous
  PAOK 17   Panagiotis Katsouris MF 1996–98 Posthumous
  Skoda Xanthi 13   Olubayo Adefemi DF 2010–11 Posthumous
  Skoda Xanthi 56   Steve Gohouri DF 2013–14 Posthumous
  C.S.D. Municipal 15   Juan Carlos Plata FW 1990–2010 Club legend
  Roulado 7   Jean-Robert Menelas FW 1993–2007 [n3 9]
  Olimpia 11   Wilmer Velásquez FW 1991–2009 Club legend
  Happy Valley
8
  Cheung Sai Ho MF 1994–2011
  Hong Kong Rangers 15   Cheung Yiu Lun DF 1992–99, 2001–02 Posthumous
  Tai Po 16   Mao Mengsuo MF 2008–10 Posthumous
  Sham Shui Po 83   Wong Chun Hin MF 2009–22 Posthumous
  Ferencváros 2   Tibor Simon DF 1985–99 Posthumous
  Kispest AC/Honvéd 10   Ferenc Puskás FW 1939–1956 Retired in 2000
  BHC FC New Delhi
5
Andrew Ould FW 2014-15 Club Legend
  BHC FC New Delhi
7
Kev Burgess MF 2015-16 Club Legend
  Bethlehem Vengthlang 21   Peter Biaksangzuala MF ?–2014 Posthumous[n3 10]
  Dempo SC 10   Christiano Junior FW 2004 Posthumous[34]
  Arema 1   Kurnia Meiga GK 2008–17 Club legend
  Arema 47   Achmad Kurniawan GK 2006–08, 2010–17 Posthumous
  Persebaya Surabaya 19   Eri Irianto MF 1998–2000 Posthumous
  Persela Lamongan 1   Choirul Huda GK 1999–2017 Posthumous
  Persib Bandung 24   Hariono MF 2008–19 Club legend
  Persija Jakarta 14   Ismed Sofyan DF 2002–22 Club legend
  Persija Jakarta 20   Bambang Pamungkas FW 1999–2005, 2007–13, 2015–19 Club legend
  Persis Solo 17   Ferry Anto FW 2001–16 Posthumous
  Persis Solo 33   Diego Mendieta FW 2011–12 Posthumous
  Persepolis
24
  Hadi Norouzi MF/FW 2008–15 Posthumous[35][36][37][38]
  Sepahan 4   Moharram Navidkia MF 1998–2004, 2006–16 Club legend
  Zob Ahan 30   Mehdi Rajabzadeh MF 2003–07, 2010–18 [39]
  Derry City 5   Ryan McBride DF 2007–17 Posthumous[n3 11]
  Derry City 18   Mark Farren FW 2000–14 Posthumous[n3 12]
  Limerick 4   Joe O'Mahony DF 1966–86 Posthumous[40]
  Treaty United 4   Joe O'Mahony DF 1966–86 Posthumous
  Hapoel Be'er Sheva 6   Chaswe Nsofwa FW 2007 Posthumous
  Maccabi Haifa 20   Yaniv Katan MF/FW 1998–2014 Club legend
  Maccabi Tel Aviv 8   Avi Nimni FW 1990–97, 1998–2003, 2005–08 Club legend
  Maccabi Tel Aviv 12   Meni Levi DF 2000–02 Prematurely retired[42]
  Atalanta 14   Federico Pisani FW 1991–97 Posthumous
  Bari 2   Giovanni Loseto DF 1982–93
  Bologna 27   Niccolò Galli DF 2000–01 Posthumous
  Brescia 10   Roberto Baggio FW 2000–04 Club legend
  Brescia 13   Vittorio Mero DF 1998–2002 Posthumous
  Cagliari 11   Gigi Riva FW 1963–78 Club legend
  Cagliari 13   Davide Astori DF 2008–14 Posthumous
  Chievo 30   Jason Mayélé FW 2001–02 Posthumous
  Crotone 4   Antonio Galardo MF 1995–98, 2002–16 Club legend
  Fiorentina 13   Davide Astori DF 2015–18 Posthumous
  Genoa 6   Gianluca Signorini DF 1988–95 Posthumous
  Genoa 7   Marco Rossi MF 2003–13 Club legend
  Internazionale 3   Giacinto Facchetti DF 1961–78 Posthumous
  Internazionale 4   Javier Zanetti DF 1995–2014 Club legend[43][44]
  Livorno 25   Piermario Morosini MF 2012 Posthumous[45]
  Messina 41   Salvatore Sullo MF 2001–07 [46]
  Milan 3   Paolo Maldini DF 1984–2009 Club legend
  Milan 6   Franco Baresi DF 1977–97 Club legend[23]
  Napoli 10   Diego Maradona MF 1984–91 Club legend, number retired in 2000.[47]
  Parma 6   Alessandro Lucarelli DF 2008–18 Club legend
  Pescara 4   Vincenzo Zucchini MF 1973–79 Posthumous
  Roma 10   Francesco Totti FW 1993–2017 Club legend
  Salernitana 4   Roberto Breda MF 1993–99, 2003–05 Club legend
  Sassuolo 4   Francesco Magnanelli MF 2005–22 Club legend[n3 13]
  Siena 4   Michele Mignani DF 1996–1998–2006 Club legend
  Vicenza 3   Giulio Savoini DF 1953–66 Posthumous
  Vicenza 25   Piermario Morosini MF 2007–09, 2011 Posthumous
  Montego Bay 2   Stephen Malcolm DF 1989–2001 Posthumous
  Reno 7   Caple Donaldson MF Posthumous
  Fujieda MYFC 2   Toshihide Saito DF 2009–13
  Thespa Kusatsu 31   Ryosuke Okuno DF 2002–03
  Yokohama F. Marinos 3   Naoki Matsuda DF 1995–2010 Posthumous
  Astana 1   Nenad Erić GK 2011–20 [49][50]
  Shakhtar Karagandy 14   Andrei Finonchenko FW 2000–16 [51]
  Llapi 9   Fadil Vokrri FW 1976–79 Posthumous
  Liberia 14   George Weah FW 1987–2018 [52]
  Al Ahly Tripoli 14   Tarik El Taib MF 1995–2001
  VB Addu FC 7   Ali Ashfaq FW 2008–11
  Valletta 7   Gilbert Agius MF 1990–2013 Club legend
  Atlante 12   Félix Fernández GK 1989–2003
  Guadalajara 8   Salvador Reyes FW 1953–1967, 2008 Club legend, number retired in 2013[53]
  Guadalajara 22   José Martínez González MF 1970–81 Posthumous[54][55]
  Monterrey 26   Humberto Suazo FW 2007–14 Club legend
  Monterrey 28   Jesús Arellano FW 1992–97, 2000–11 [n3 14]
  Pachuca 1   Miguel Calero GK 2000–11 Posthumous.[n3 15]
  Pachuca 17   Hernán Medford FW 1994–97
  Pachuca 20   Pablo Gómez FW 1999–2001 Posthumous
  Pachuca 110   Andrés Chitiva MF 2001–08, 2011 [n3 16]
  UANL 7   Gerónimo Barbadillo MF 1977–82 [58]
  Raja Casablanca 23   Zakaria Zerouali DF 2011 Posthumous
  Ajax 14   Johan Cruyff FW 1957–73, 1981–83 Number retired in 2007.[59]
  NAC Breda 13   Ferry van Vliet MF 2001–02 Posthumous
  Telstar 22   Luciano van den Berg DF 2004–05 Posthumous
  Utrecht 4   David di Tommaso DF 2004–05 Posthumous
  Vitesse 4   Theo Bos DF 1983–98 Posthumous
  Wellington Phoenix 22   Andrew Durante DF 2008–19 Club legend[60]
  FK Osogovo 7   Nikola Mantov FW ?–1973 Posthumous[61]
  Linfield 11   Noel Bailie DF 1986–2011 Club legend[n3 17]
  Fredrikstad 8   Dagfinn Enerly MF 2004–05
  Árabe Unido 21   Amílcar Henríquez MF 2003–08, 2016–17 Posthumous[62]
  Chepo 77   Jonathan Rodríguez MF 2006–09 Posthumous
  Universitario
9
  Teodoro Fernández FW 1930–53 [63]
  Universitario
22
  José Luis Carranza MF 1986–2004 [64]
  Cracovia Krakow 1     John Paul II GK Club supporter, youth player [n3 18]
  Lech Poznań 9   Piotr Reiss FW 1994–98, 2002–08, 2012–13
  Legia Warsaw 10   Kazimierz Deyna MF 1966–78 Posthumous
  Piast Gliwice 21   Gerard Badía MF 2014-21 Club legend[67]
  Widzew Łódź 11   Włodzimierz Smolarek FW 1974–78, 1980–86 Posthumous
  Benfica 29   Miklós Fehér FW 2002–04 Posthumous
  Boavista 29   Edu Ferreira FW 2016–17 Posthumous
  FC Argeș 10   Nicolae Dobrin MF 1962-1981, 1982-1983 Posthumous
  Dinamo București 11   Cătălin Hîldan MF 1994–2000 Posthumous
  Dinamo București 14   Patrick Ekeng MF 2016 Posthumous
  Steaua București 7   Marius Lăcătuș FW 1983–90, 1993–2000 Number retired on 7 July 2021
  CSKA Moscow 16   Serhiy Perkhun GK 2001 Posthumous
  Rubin Kazan 17   Lenar Gilmullin DF 2003–07 Posthumous
  Rubin Kazan 61   Gökdeniz Karadeniz MF 2008–18 Club legend
  Ural 23   Pyotr Hrustovsky FW 1999, 2001–2003 Posthumous
  Heart of Midlothian 26   Marius Žaliūkas DF 2007–13 Posthumous
  FAS 10   Mágico González FW 1977–82, 1991–99 Club legend
  Municipal Limeño 11   Oscar Armando Díaz FW ?–1998 Posthumous[68]
  Najran SC 20   Al Hasan Al-Yami FW 1991–96, 2005–10 Number retired in 2012[69]
  Radnički Niš 10   Ivan Krstić MF 2000 Posthumous
  Spartak Trnava 9   Ladislav Kuna MF 1964–80 Posthumous
  Maribor 19   Stipe Balajić DF/MF 1998–2005 Club legend
  Maribor 33   Jasmin Handanović GK 2011–21 Club legend
  Maribor 9   Marcos Tavares FW 2008–22 Club legend
  Ajax Cape Town 21   Cecil Lolo DF 2009–15 Posthumous[70]
  Orlando Pirates 1   Senzo Meyiwa FW 2005–14 Posthumous[71]
  Orlando Pirates 10   Jomo Sono MF Club legend
  Orlando Pirates 13   Clifford Moleko MF 1997–98 Posthumous
  Orlando Pirates 22   Lesley Manyathela FW 2000–03 Posthumous
  Daejeon Citizen FC 18   Kim Eun-jung FW 1997–2003, 2014 Club legend
  Daejeon Citizen FC 21   Choi Eun-sung GK 1998–2012 Club legend
  Daewoo Royals 16   Kim Joo-Sung MF 1987–92, 1994–99 Club legend
  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 20   Lee Dong-gook FW 2009–20 Club legend
  Córdoba 8   Juanín FW 1960–70 Posthumous
  Espanyol 21   Daniel Jarque DF 2002–09 Posthumous
  Extremadura 19   Jose Antonio Reyes FW 2019 Posthumous[72]
  Real Betis 26   Miki Roqué DF 2010–12 Posthumous
  Assyriska FF 18   Eddie Moussa FW 2001–10 Posthumous
  Helsingborgs IF 17   Henrik Larsson FW 1992–93, 2006–09
  Kalmar FF 15   Johny Erlandsson MF 1973–88 Club legend[n3 19]
  Kalmar FF 8   Henrik Rydström MF 1993–2013 Club legend[n3 20]
  Norrköping 18   Stefán Þórðarson FW 2004–07, 2009 Club legend[n3 21]
  Umeå IK 6   Malin Moström MF 1995–2007 Club legend[n3 22]
  Basel 2   Massimo Ceccaroni DF 1987–2002
  St. Gallen 17   Marc Zellweger DF 1994–01, 2003–10
  TOT-CAT 19   Chanont Wong-aree DF 2009–10 Posthumous
  Alanyaspor 90   Josef Šural FW 2019 Posthumous[75]
  İstanbul Başakşehir 12   Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Significant supporter[n3 23]
  Konyaspor 6   Ahmet Yılmaz Çalık DF 2013–22 Posthumous
  Colorado Rapids
25
  Pablo Mastroeni MF 2002–13 Number retired in 2021[77]
  Eastern Illinois
19
  Erik Proffitt MF 1987–88 Posthumous[n3 24]
  FC Kansas City 12   Lauren Holiday MF 2013–15
  New York Cosmos
9
  Giorgio Chinaglia FW 1976–1983 Posthumous[n3 25]
  New York Cosmos
10
  Pelé FW 1975–77 Club legend[n3 26]
  New York Red Bulls
99
  Bradley Wright-Phillips FW 2013–19 Club legend[n3 27]
  Portland Timbers
3
  Clive Charles DF 1978–81 Posthumous[n3 28]
  Rochester New York
14
  Mickey Trotman MF 2001 Posthumous [86]
  Rochester New York
19
  Doug Miller F 1996–99, 2003–06 Number retired in 2006[87]
  Tampa Bay Rowdies
6
  Mike Connell DF 1975–84 Number retired in 2013[88]
  Tampa Bay Rowdies
12
  Perry Van der Beck MF 1978–82, 1984, 1991–93 Club legend[n3 29]
  UMass women's
1
  Briana Scurry GK 1989–93 Club legend[90][91]
  Hofstra men's
5
  Gary Flood DF 2003–06 No. retired in 2008[92][93]
  Hofstra men's
9
  Michael Todd FW 2003–06 No. retired in 2008[92][93]
  Hofstra women's
17
  Tiffany Yovino MF 2007–10 No. retired in 2011[92][94]
  Hofstra women's
20
  Sue Weber DF 2005–07 No. retired in 2008[92][94]
  Shakhtar Donetsk 33   Darijo Srna[95] DF 2003–18 Club legend
  Zorya Luhansk
33
  Maksym Bilyi MF 2010–13 Posthumous[96]
  Hoàng Anh Gia Lai
13
  Kiatisuk Senamuang FW 2001–06 Club legend
  Hoàng Anh Gia Lai
14
  Võ Bá Khôi DF 2003–06 Posthumous
  Hoàng Anh Gia Lai
7
  Paollo Olivieira Madeira FW 2023 Posthumous
  Cardiff City 7   Peter Whittingham[97] MF 2007–17 Posthumous
  Swansea City
40
  Besian Idrizaj[98] FW 2009–10 Posthumous
Notes
  1. ^ Number retired after García committed suicide on 4 February 2021.[10][11][12] He was the all-time club top scorer in Argentine Primera División.[13]
  2. ^ His double-digit number, worn from 2007, was retired on 12 December 2015 when he retired from football. The single-digit '1' may still be used, but the iconic '01', which is an inverted '10', is retired.[18]
  3. ^ Richter lost his leg as a result of a lightning strike[22]
  4. ^ Kee had to leave football due to mental health issues.
  5. ^ Recognised as the youngest-ever first-team player and goalscorer.
  6. ^ Foé died on the pitch while playing for Cameroon, was at Manchester City on loan from Lyon at the time.[23]
  7. ^ Philo was killed in a car accident and the number 14 shirt retired. It was later revealed he was significantly over the drink-drive limit and his car veered on to the other side of the road, killing a 58-year-old mother of two.[27][23]
  8. ^ Anin retired after suffering a serious car accident which left him paralyzed.[29]
  9. ^ Number was retired in recognition of his career at the club and for his all-time record goal scoring in the league. He is the first in the history of Haitian football to have a number permanently removed from use.[31][32]
  10. ^ Biaksangzuala died while celebrating a goal[33]
  11. ^ Number was retired in dedication to the club's captain after he died in his sleep in 2017. McBride was 27 years old.
  12. ^ Number was retired in dedication to the club's all-time record goal scorer after Farren died of cancer in 2016.
  13. ^ Current record holder for most appearances[48]
  14. ^ The shirt is not fully retired. Arellano has given consent for his son to adopt the number 28.
  15. ^ Calero's number had been retired on 23 October 2011 after Calero's retirement as a professional player. Later his number was retired again posthumous when he died on 4 December 2012.
  16. ^ Chitiva was given number 100 in 2011 to commemorate the 110th. anniversary of the club. Chitiva was chosen to carry that number due to his career in the club.[56][57]
  17. ^ Number retired in 2011 to commemorate his world record of 1,013 senior appearances for the club.
  18. ^ Pope John Paul did not play for Cracovia but was a strong supporter of the team.[65] The number was retired on 4 January 2005 during Pope's private audience with the players and staff of Cracovia in Vatican City, during which they gave him a shirt with his name and number.[66]
  19. ^ Previous record holder for most appearances
  20. ^ Current record holder for most appearances and current manager[73]
  21. ^ The shirt was worn by Þórðarson during his comeback for the club during the 2009 season. Has been worn again since 2017.
  22. ^ The shirt was worn by Moström during her comeback at the club during the 2007 season.[74]
  23. ^ Erdogan was not a player but a politician and long-time supporter of the club.[76] The number 12 refers to the "12th. man".
  24. ^ Proffitt died in April 1989 after contracting spinal meningitis. He was 20 years old.[78][79]
  25. ^ Number retired in June 2014 by the current Cosmos franchise.[80][81]
  26. ^ Number retired on 1 October 1977, at half-time of his testimonial match[82] and retired again in July 2013 by the second club of the same name.[83]
  27. ^ Wright-Phillips left the New York Red Bulls in 2019, but the franchise had announced his number would be retired in August 2018[84]
  28. ^ Number retired on 23 August 2003[85]
  29. ^ Number retired on 1 October 2010 by Tampa Bay before they rebranded into the second incarnation of the Rowdies.[89]

Special cases edit

Team No. Player Pos. Tenure Notes
  Argentina national team
10
  Diego Maradona MF 1977–94 Retired and re-issued.[n1 1]
  River Plate
12
1949–2013 [n1 2] "Retired" and reissued.[n1 3]
  Sydney FC
15
  Terry McFlynn MF 2005–14 Unofficially retired.[n1 4]
  Rapid Wien
5
  Peter Schöttel DF 1986–2001 Temporarily retired [n1 5]
  Rapid Wien
11
  Steffen Hofmann MF 2002–18 Retired for at least eleven years
  Palmeiras 12   Marcos GK 1993–2012 Retired for GK only.[n1 6]
  Santos
10
  Pelé FW 2023– Temporarily retired [n1 7]
  Santa Fe
23
  Léider Preciado FW 1995–98, 2000–01, 2004–08, 2011 Temporarily retired [n1 8]
  Slavia Prague
7
  Stanislav Vlček FW 2004–07, 2009–13 Not fully retired.[n1 9]
  Ecuador national team
11
  Christian Benítez FW 2005–13 Retired and re-issued.[n1 10]
  Bradford City
8
  Tomi Solomon 2019–21 Retired in academy [n1 11]
  Chelsea
25
  Gianfranco Zola FW 1996–2003 Unofficially retired [n1 12]
  Portsmouth
13
  Aaron Flahavan GK 1994–2001 Temporarily retired.[n1 13]
  Leeds United
17
  Massimo Cellino 2014 Temporarily retired [113]
  Exeter City
9
  Adam Stansfield FW 2006–10 Temporarily retired [n1 14]
  Wolverhampton
1
  Carl Ikeme GK 2003–18 Temporarily retired.[n1 15]
  FC Haka
14
  Valeri Popovitch FW 1994–2008 Partially retired [n1 16]
  Lyon
16
  Luc Borrelli GK 1998–99 Temporarily retired [n1 17]
  Lyon
17
  Marc-Vivien Foé MF 2000–03 Temporarily retired. [n1 18]
  Manchester City F.C.
23
  Marc-Vivien Foé MF 2002–03 Permanently retired. Forever remembered. [122]
  1. FC Köln
10
  Lukas Podolski MF 2002–06, 2009–12 Temporarily retired.[n1 19]
  Schalke 04
7
  Raúl FW 2010–12 Temporarily retired.[n1 20]
  Motagua 16   Edy Vásquez MF 2003–07 Temporarily retired [n1 21]
  Diósgyőri VTK 77   José Juan Luque MF 1996–2013 Temporarily retired [n1 22]
  Persepolis
7
  Ali Parvin MF 1970–87 Partially retired.[n1 23]
  Maccabi Tel Aviv
12
  Meni Levi DF 2000–02 Unofficially retired.[n1 24]
  Livorno
10
  Igor Protti FW 1985–88, 1999–2005 Temporarily retired.[n1 25]
  Milan
3
  Paolo Maldini DF 1984–2009 Partially retired.[n1 26]
  Roma
6
  Aldair DF 1990–2003 Temporarily retired [n1 27]
  Sagan Tosu
17
  Sakata Michitaka 2001– Key figure.[n1 28]
  Akhaa Ahli Aley
20
  Mohamed Atwi MF 2018–20 Temporarily retired.[n1 29]
  Guadalajara
11
  Ramón Morales MF 1998–2011 [n1 30] Unofficially retired.[n1 31]
  Pachuca
8
  Gabriel Caballero MF/FW 1998–2009 Temporarily retired.[n1 32]
  UNAM
12
  Sergio Bernal GK 1989–2001, 2003–10 Retired and re-issued.[135]
  Ajax
34
  Abdelhak Nouri MF 2016–17 Unofficially retired.[n1 33]
  Stabæk
7
  Christer Basma DF 1995–98 Temporarily retired.[n1 34]
  Benfica
10
  Fernando Chalana MF 1976–84, 1987–90 Temporarily retired [n1 35]
  União Leiria 10   Hugo Cunha MF 2004–05 Temporarily retired [n1 36]
  Dunfermline Athletic
4
  Norrie McCathie DF 1981–96 Temporarily retired.[n1 37]
  Motherwell
10
  Phil O'Donnell MF 1990–94, 2004–07 Unofficially retired.[n1 38]
  Orlando Pirates
22
  Lesley Manyathela FW 2000−03 Occasionally re-issued.[n1 39]
  Barcelona
21
  Luis Enrique MF 1996–2004 Temporarily retired.[n1 40]
  Oviedo
10
  Peter Dubovský MF 1995–2000 Temporarily retired.[n1 41]
  Sevilla
16
  Antonio Puerta DF 2004–07 Temporarily retired.[n1 42]
  Östers IF
6
  Mario Vasilj DF 2006–18 Temporarily retired.[n1 43]
  Hammarby IF 10   Kennedy Bakircioglu MF 1999–2003, 2012–18 Temporarily retired [n1 44]
  Galatasaray
3
  Bülent Korkmaz DF 1984–2005 Temporarily retired [n1 45]
  LA Galaxy
13
  Cobi Jones MF 1996–2007 Unofficially retired.[n1 46]
  Real Salt Lake
9
  Jason Kreis MF/FW 2005–07 Retired and re-issued.[n1 47]
  Real Salt Lake
11
  Javier Morales MF 2007–16 Retired and re-issued.[n1 47]
  Tampa Bay Rowdies
7
  Steve Wegerle FW 1977–81, 1984, 1988–90 Temporarily retired [n1 48]
Notes
  1. ^ The number 10 had been retired by the Argentine Football Association in October 2001 to honour Maradona. Before the 2002 World Cup, the AFA submitted a squad list of 23 players for the tournament, listed 1 through 24, with the number 10 omitted.[23] FIFA rejected Argentina's list, and the governing body's president, Sepp Blatter suggested the number 10 shirt be instead given to the team's third-choice goalkeeper, Roberto Bonano. AFA ultimately submitted a revised list with Ariel Ortega, originally listed as number 23, as the number 10.[99] The number 10 has been worn by other players since, most notably by Lionel Messi, whom Maradona considered "his successor".
  2. ^ Period counts since squad numbers were established as mandatory in Argentina.[100]
  3. ^ The club decided to put this number out of circulation in 2013. The official reasons for this decision were never given, but it is believed to be because arch-rival Boca Juniors fans are nicknamed "La 12".[101][102][103] Nevertheless, the number was later re-issued and has been worn by several players since.
  4. ^ Sydney FC have not officially retired the number 15 shirt, but it has not been allocated to another player since McFlynn retired from professional football in 2014. McFlynn also held a staffing position with Sydney FC from 2014 until 2019.
  5. ^ Schottel's number was temporarily retired for at least ten years. In 2013, it was reactivated and given to Thanos Petsos.
  6. ^ Outfield players are allowed to use the number.
  7. ^ The number 10 was temporarily retired in honor renowned striker Pelé following the club's relegation from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A after 111 years.[104]
  8. ^ The number was out of circulation for a period of 23 months (starting May 2012) in honor of the second top scorer in the history of the club.[105]
  9. ^ Rather than retiring the number, the club opted to freeze the number for any future player that wants it, provided that the applying player meets 7 game achievements. Among those are scoring 3 goals overall against Sparta Prague, being nominated for his national team, winning the trophy for top goalscorer and others. Even though Milan Škoda met the requirements in the 2016–17 season, he opted to keep his number 21. The 7 was eventually given to Danny upon him joining the team for 2017-18 season. Vlček gave his consent and Danny pledged to work to meet the remaining criteria.[106]
  10. ^ The number 10 had been retired by the FEF in 2013 to honour Benítez, died at 27 years old from a cardiac arrest.[107][108] Nevertheless, the number had to be reissued due to FIFA rules for the 2014 World Cup that stated squads to be numbered 1–23.[7] For that occasion, Felipe Caicedo was given number 11.[109]
  11. ^ Bradford retired number 8 across all age groups of the Bradford Academy, after the tragic death of 13-yo player Tomi Solomon, stating that it shall 'remain with him forever'.[110] Solomon drowned in River Calder in 2021.[111] The decision did not include the senior squad, where the number remain in use.
  12. ^ Chelsea did not officially retire the number 25 shirt, but it was not allocated to another player after Zola left the club in 2003 until Moises Caicedo took it in 2023.
  13. ^ Following Flahavan's death in a car accident in August 2001, Portsmouth and his first club, Southampton, retired their number 1 shirts for the 2001–02 season as a mark of respect. From the 2003–04 season, Portsmouth retired the number 13 shirt, as this was the number Flahavan wore during the majority of his time at the club. Number 13 remained unused until 2011, when it was allocated to goalkeeper Stephen Henderson, and it has been reissued since.
  14. ^ The club retired the number 9 for nine seasons after the striker died of cancer on 10 August 2010. The number returned to use in 2020, following the arrival of Stansfield’s son, Jay Stansfield, at Exeter City. As of 2023, Jay Stansfield continues to wear the number 9 shirt. [114]
  15. ^ Carl Ikeme retired from professional football before the 2018–2019 season after complete remission from acute leukaemia and the club decided to leave the jersey –previously worn by Ikeme– vacant,[115] with newly signed Rui Patrício unusually wearing the number 11[116] and the other team goalkeepers wearing numbers ending in "1".[117][118] In 2021, the number was reissued following the signing of new goalkeeper José Sá, and after Ikeme stated publicly that he wished for someone to take the number.[119][120]
  16. ^ First ever retired shirt number in the history of Finnish football is ex-Haka's Valeri Popovitch's number 14. Popovitch has stated that his sons, who are still playing for Haka's junior teams, can wear the legendary number if they want.[121]
  17. ^ Posthumous – returned to use in 2011.
  18. ^ Posthumous – returned to use in 2008.
  19. ^ The club had announced that the number would remain out of circulation as long as Podolski is playing football on a professional level. Nevertheless, the #10 was given to Patrick Helmes in July 2014.[123]
  20. ^ At the time Raúl left the club, the team intended to retire the jersey indefinitely.[124] However, the retirement of this shirt only lasted one year; with Max Meyer wearing it from 2013 to 2018.
  21. ^ Posthumous, retired from 2007 to 2009.
  22. ^ Retired on 2 June 2013 in respect of Luque being the most notable player in the DVTK history. His number was retired for ten years.
  23. ^ The shirt was retired after Parvin's retirement, but Parvin gave the shirt to player Hamid Estili and the shirt has since not been retired permanently.[125][126][127][128]
  24. ^ During a game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem, Levi chest-controlled and kicked the ball, ran back to defend, then collapsed. He returned to his feet, and then collapsed a second time. He was subsequently on a life-support machine, and has since returned home. The club claims that the number 12 is unofficially reserved for the fans.[129]
  25. ^ In December 2005, Livorno officially retired the #10 jersey. However, Protti, who led the forward line and captained his side in two promotions from Serie C1 to Serie A, quickly gaining a reputation as a fan favourite, announced his willingness to see the #10 number reissued to another player, in order to "give anybody back a dream to dress it one day." This was made effective starting from the 2007–08 season, in which Francesco Tavano played with the #10 number.[130]
  26. ^ Maldini's number was not fully retired so he gave consent for his sons to adopt the number 3 shirt if either of them play professionally for the club.[23][131]
  27. ^ The shirt number had been retired by the club when the player left the club in 2003. When Kevin Strootman joined Roma in 2013, he asked for permission to wear number 6. The club approved the request after Aldair gave his consent.[132]ROMA’S REFRESHING APPROACH TO RETIRING NUMBERS, 22 Nov 2018</ref> The number remained in use and has given to other players since.
  28. ^ The shirt was retired posthumously, to honour Michikata who played a key role in establishment of former Tosu Futures and their revival as Sagan Tosu, and who died due to kidney cancer on 7 January 2000. Number 17, derived from the day of his death, was selected to be retired. The number would later also be dedicated to the club's fans, thus they have not retired squad number 12 like most Japanese League teams.
  29. ^ Akhaa Ahli Aley have retired the squad number 20, in honour of Atwi's death in 2020 due to a stray bullet in the head. The club has retired the number for two seasons—from 2020 to 2022—the duration in which Atwi stayed at the club.[133]
  30. ^ Career as player. Since 2013, Morales became part of the coaching staff.
  31. ^ The shirt was never officially retired, but it was not issued out of American competitions for the time between Morales' exit and his return as a coach. All players intending to wear the jersey have to ask for Morales' consent. It is now being worn by Isaác Brizuela.
  32. ^ Caballero's number was just temporarily retired for five years. After that period, it was reactivated and given to Hirving Lozano in 2014.[134]
  33. ^ Nouri collapsed on the pitch after suffering severe cardiac arrhythmia,[136] which forced him to leave football.[137] Number 34 has not been issued since then.
  34. ^ The club had retired the number to honor Basma's career at Stabæk. However, the retirement was revoked after 2004 season and the number given to Henning Hauger.
  35. ^ After the death of Chalana, the club announced the number 10 jersey would become vacated for the 2022–23 season.[138]
  36. ^ Posthumous; has been worn again since 2009.
  37. ^ The club retired the number after club captain McCathie was found dead in his home on 8 January 1996, as a result of Carbon monoxide poisoning.[139] At that time, Scottish League clubs used shirt numbered from 1 to 11, so for the remainder of the 1995–96 season, 12 was used instead. However, the number was not retired permanently, and has been re-issued since.
  38. ^ O'Donnell collapsed while playing for Motherwell against Dundee United in 2007. He was pronounced dead at Wishaw General Hospital. The number 10 shirt was worn by his nephew David Clarkson during the 2008–09 season. Since Clarkson left in June 2009, it has not been retired, but has not been issued to any subsequent player.
  39. ^ The club retired the number 22 after Manyathela died in a car crash in August 2003. However, Confederation of African Football rules state that shirts must be numbered 1–30 in continental club competitions, so Pirates has re-issued it in those special cases.
  40. ^ Luis Enrique joined the club as a free agent from eternal rivals Real Madrid, spending eight years at Barcelona, even becoming captain of the team. The shirt was retired for just two years (2004–06), since La Liga did not allow numbers to be retired permanently. The number 21 shirt was awarded to Lilian Thuram in 2006. Since his arrival at the club in 2020, Frenkie de Jong currently holds the number 21 shirt, taking it from Carles Aleñá.
  41. ^ The Spanish Football League allowed Oviedo to retire number 10 just for the 2000–01 season, as an exception to its rules. At the end of the season, number 10 was re-issued.
  42. ^ The number was temporarily retired after Puerta died of a cardiac arrest on the first match day in La Liga 2007–2008. However, Spanish Football Federation rules state that clubs must use number 1 to 25 for their regular squad, and as a result, David Prieto wore the number in 2008 in honour of his friend.[140] It has become a club policy to reserve number 16 for players coming from the youth academy as a tribute to Puerta, who was a youth system product. Exceptions have been made when 16 was the only jersey number available.[141]
  43. ^ Retired for six years.[142]
  44. ^ Retired for ten years between 2019 and 2028.[143]
  45. ^ Despite the club announcing the retirement of the number, it has been re-issued.
  46. ^ The number was not officially retired by the Galaxy but had not been worn since Jones retired. In 2017, it was given to Jermaine Jones.[144]
  47. ^ a b Jason Kreis's number 9 was not worn by RSL players after the time of its retirement in 2011.[145] However, in 2019, when the club decided to retire Javier Morales's number 11, Kreis pleaded with the club to recirculate his number 9. As a result, both number 9 and number 11 are still circulated numbers for the club. Kreis and Morales's names and numbers are "retired" and displayed prominently above the player's tunnel on the west concourse of America First Field.[146]
  48. ^ Although his number had been retired by the original franchise in 1989,[147] the current team has reissued it.

Dedication to fans edit

Number 12 edit

Some clubs dedicate a number to their fans, and do not issue it to any player. The most common number for this practice is 12, from descriptions of the fans as "the twelfth man". Clubs and teams that do not give the '12' to any player include:

Notes
  1. ^ a b c Despite of having their number "12" retired, Brazilian clubs have had to re-issue them for CONMEBOL competitions such as Copa Libertadores, where the squads must be numbered from 1 to 25 consecutively,[148] although that rule changed and teams can use arbitrary numbers from 1 to 50.[9]

Other numbers retired edit

  • 1 – AIK, Djurgården IF, and PSIM Yogyakarta[157] reserve the number for their supporters.
  • 7 – Paysandu reserve the number for their supporters.
  • 10 – Levadiakos have reserved the number for the club president, Giannis Kobotis.
  • 11 – Indy Eleven reserve the number for their supporters.
  • 13 – Gillingham use the number for the 'Rainham End' Stand of Priestfield Stadium as this stand holds the majority of hardcore supporters.
  • 13 – Reading and Bryne reserve the number for their supporters, Panathinaikos reserve the number in honour of Gate 13, the ultras based in the respective gate in home matches. Between 2002 and 2007 Norwich City reserved the number 13 shirt for "the fans" after which it was worn by Declan Rudd while Shrewsbury Town reserve the number 13 shirt for the fan who wins a pre-season competition.
  • 16 – Bursaspor reserve the number for their supporters.
  • 17 – Atlanta United FC reserve the number for their supporters and to reference their inaugural season in Major League Soccer.[158] For the 2021 MLS season, the club also reserved the number 44 as part of a tribute by Atlanta-area sports teams in memoriam of Henry Aaron of the local MLB club, who died on 22 January 2021.[159]
  • 17 – Sagan Tosu retired the number in dedication to their fans.
  • 27 – Bournemouth use squad number for the Steve Fletcher Stand which houses the large majority of hardcore supporters, the number 50 for "12th man" and the number 99 shirt for their mascot, Cherry Bear.
  • 33 – Remo reserve the number for their supporters.
  • 40 – Oldham Athletic reserve the number for their fans.
  • 55 – Rochdale retired the number on 13 January 2017 in honour of five-year old Joshua McCormack who died of cancer.[160]
  • 58 – Portsmouth retired the number for their mascot Nelson, with Nelson’s name and number appearing on club issued match day programmes
  • 79 – APOEL have reserved the shirt number in honour of PAN.SY.FI. (APOEL Ultras), to denote the year the group was founded, 1979.[161]

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