It always seems as though the numbers are all over the place. I get that they can’t just be numbered 1 – 11 as the team is often much larger and will differ per starting lineup but who delegates who wears the ‘number 40’ shirt and does the team even have that much players with reserves & substitutes taken into account?
Who decides who gets to inherit a number from a retired legend for example?
In: 8
In football (the version played with feet), which it sounds like you’re asking about, there’s a history of just playing with 11 players and no substitutes with the players wearing 1-11 based on who was chosen for that match. Within the 11, there are historical roles associated with the numbers, generally assigning 1-11 from front to back. 1 is the GK, 2-5 are defenders, 6 and 8 are central midfielders, 7 and 11 are wingers, 9 is the primary striker, and 10 is the primary playmaker.
With modern clubs having huge squads, generally the first team have the lowest numbers, then the youth teams get increasing numbers as you go down through the age groups. Some players who break into the first team from the youth teams will stick with their original youth numbers from when they broke in — Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool wears 66 for this reason, for example.
In terms of who gets famous or important numbers, there’s a lot of politicking involved, and giving an important number can be an incentive to lure a player to the team or to show them how important they are within the team. Most numbers are just assigned based on what’s available and player preference, but “who takes the 9 shirt after our star striker leaves?” would likely be addressed by the primary decision makers at the club.
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