5 big clubs with cursed jersey numbers
Following Tammy Abraham's €40m switch to Roma, Chelsea officially assigned the jersey number 9 to Romelu Lukaku. This will be the Belgian's fifth season as a club's designated striker, having worn the said number on his back for Manchester United and Inter.
Logically speaking, shirt numbers cannot possibly affect an individual's performance on the pitch. Nevertheless, there have been numerous incidents when a player experienced a change in his fortunes, after switching to a particular number on the back.
Some notable changes in jersey numbers over the years
On his initial arrival at the Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo was handed the No. 9 shirt, with club legend Raul occupying his favored number 7. Karim Benzema, who was also purchased during Real Madrid's summer spree in 2009, inherited Arjen Robben's No.11. Following Raul's departure in 2010, Ronaldo quickly switched to his iconic jersey number 7, prompting Benzema to take up his vacated number.
In sharp contrast, Dani Alves has had four different jersey numbers during his time at Barcelona. Although he is mostly associated with No.2, the first shirt number allocated to the Brazilian at Camp Nou was 20. He wore the iconic number 2 for four seasons, changing it again in 2013 to pay tribute to close friend Eric Abidal, who used to don No. 22 at Barcelona. In his final season in Catalonia, Alves inherited Xavi's iconic number 6.
With shirt numbers portraying an important role in constructing a player's mindset, many footballers have thrived while wearing a particular one on their back. Similarly, players have often shown a tendency to crackle under the pressure of an iconic jersey number with some sort of history attached to it.
On that note, let's take a look at five big clubs where players have faced the wrath of cursed jersey numbers:
#5 Barcelona - jersey number 7
The Blaugrana have had a lot of iconic jersey numbers over the years. From Lionel Messi's recently vacated No.10 to the pair of 6 and 8, made famous by Xavi and Iniesta, Barcelona have a rich history with multiple jersey numbers. However, one particular jersey number sticks out as a sore thumb: No. 7.
Donned by greats like Luis Figo and Pep Guardiola, the legacy of the fabled jersey number 7 received the honor it deserved until the departure of David Villa. Following the Spaniard's exit, every single one of his successors has failed to live up to the hype.
Pedro spent his best years as a Barcelona player with jersey number 17 on his back. In a similar scenario, Philippe Coutinho amassed much better stats while playing as a number 14. While Barcelona's current number 7, Antoine Griezmann, is yet to unleash his true potential, Arda Turan suffered the worst fate amongst the lot. The Turk's career took a huge nosedive, never to recover after accepting the coveted jersey number with Barcelona.
#4 Arsenal - jersey number 9
The 'curse of jersey number 9' at the Emirates Stadium can trace its origin to the arrival of wonderkind Francis Jeffers. The English prodigy had shown some serious signs of promise at Everton and was destined for greatness at Arsenal. However, the €15.3m signing tanked hard for the Gunners, only bagging a meager 8 goals in 39 appearances. Jeffers seems to have set a precedent, with each of the following forwards failing to hit the mark.
Brazilian striker Eduardo da Silva shared a similar fate, with a career-threatening injury putting a premature end to his promising start. Even Alexander Lacazette, who was supposed to be Arsenal's marquee signing, has failed to set the stage on fire.
With a brilliant 37-goal season at Lyon on his back, the Frenchman was signed for a massive €53m in 2017. After just 65 strikes in 170 appearances for the Gunners, Lacazette's future at the club looks bleak at best now.
German sensation Lukas Podolski came closest to lifting the said curse. While the Poland-born attacker did have his moments, Podolski was largely underwhelming with respect to his immense pedigree.
All of Jose Antonio Reyes, Julio Baptista, Park Chu-young, and Lucas Perez also endured disappointing spells with the London club after opting the no.9 jersey.
Also read: 5 best players to have worn jersey number 30