Football shirt numbers explained

Waris85

Member
That number on the back of the shirt.. I used to wonder when I was a lot younger what each number signified for the team. Although some teams and players are moving away from the traditional number - still very much used today.

For me, I want to see a good old number 10 shirt in the ranks. The playmaker, attacking the opposition and being able to control the play around him.


No.2
Defence – usually RB but not always.. Tav

No.3
Defence - usually LB - Roberto Carlos, our own Bassey

No.4 & 5
Defence - usually CD

No.6
Defence and MF - usually CD or Defensive Mid

No.7 usually wingers and strikers.. CR7?

No.8 - the MF that can score goals and control the play too.. think Stevie G, Iniesta, Kakaaaaa

No.9 - Strikers. Usually the main striker.. think R9 Ronaldooooo and Suarezzzz

No.10 - Attacking Mid - the playmaker..think Ozil, Baggio, Zidane

No.11 - Left Winger.. think Brian Laudrup, Giggs, Romarioo

Sorry! Lack of football action has got me bored. Probably seems common knowledge but I find the history of that shirt number interesting. Reminds you of some of the great players of today and yesterday
 
Was Lorenzo not 4? Moore & Amoruso played together so how could they both have worn 3?
Prodan was #4 when Amoruso joined (and sat out most of the season injured beside Prodan!) - Prodan took #25 the following year, LA took #4 then. CM had #19 at that time before taking the #3 vacated by LA.
 
From long ago :)) and originally in a 2 3 5 formation.
2 RB 3 LB
4 RH 5 CH 6 LH
7 RW 8 IR 9 CF 10 IL 11 LW
I imagine the changing tactics and formations lead to the CH and one of the wing halves dropping back while the two inside forwards dropped into midfield giving the 4 3 3.
 
The players (or types) I associate with each number are

1. Goalie
2. Gary Stevens
3. Davie Robertson
4. Richard Gough
5. Nigel Spackman
6. Barry Ferguson
7. Trevor Steven
8. Paul Gascoigne
9. Ally McCoist
10. Mark Hateley
11. Brian Laudrup

14. Johan Cruyff
You’ve only got one CB in there?
 
That number on the back of the shirt.. I used to wonder when I was a lot younger what each number signified for the team. Although some teams and players are moving away from the traditional number - still very much used today.

For me, I want to see a good old number 10 shirt in the ranks. The playmaker, attacking the opposition and being able to control the play around him.


No.2
Defence – usually RB but not always.. Tav

No.3
Defence - usually LB - Roberto Carlos, our own Bassey

No.4 & 5
Defence - usually CD

No.6
Defence and MF - usually CD or Defensive Mid

No.7 usually wingers and strikers.. CR7?

No.8 - the MF that can score goals and control the play too.. think Stevie G, Iniesta, Kakaaaaa

No.9 - Strikers. Usually the main striker.. think R9 Ronaldooooo and Suarezzzz

No.10 - Attacking Mid - the playmaker..think Ozil, Baggio, Zidane

No.11 - Left Winger.. think Brian Laudrup, Giggs, Romarioo

Sorry! Lack of football action has got me bored. Probably seems common knowledge but I find the history of that shirt number interesting. Reminds you of some of the great players of today and yesterday
7 a striker?

10 an attacking mid?

Baggio was predominately a forward.

In a an old style 442 before squad numbers were generally

1 - GK
2-4 Defenders
5/6/7/11 - CM and wide midfielders
9/10 Forwards
 
Or alternatively, Scotland have in the past based their squad numbers on the number of international caps won!

 
I remember when the squad numbers and names on strips in Scotland when the SPL. The start of season 98/99 if memory serves me right, my eldest son was 6 at the start of that season and when to help him with his arithmetic I would ask him either going to the games or on our way home who had scored and get him to add up the goalscorers squad numbers together!! Example Gio (8), Johannsen (20) had scored would be 28.
Rangers and education. What else can I say…
Maybe you had to be there!!!
 
I was always given the #4 to play in front of the defence. 15 would be my number now. Just a lucky number - except when it comes to the lottery :)
 
Gerrard also wore 8 for England if Lampard wasn’t playing!
Thats not the point he was saying he remembers cm wearing number 4 and I said first one that sprung to mind was gerrard as that was his England number 99% of the time!
Edit - Scholes wore 8 lampard was 11 .. Scholes retired lampard took it. Gerrard was 4 when Scholes was there. I don't remember gerrard ever wearing 8 for England though I could be wrong but had a quick look through old pics can't find one of him with number 8 on apart from u21s but as I've said could be wrong.
 
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I'm a bit of a squad numbers buff. I don't know why, when we sign a player (no laughing in the back) I'm always buzzing to see what number they get. So the 1-11 in the lower leagues used to infuriated me when Jig always took 6 regardless of where he played
 
Or alternatively, Scotland have in the past based their squad numbers on the number of international caps won!

On first reading I thought it meant the number of caps at the start of the tournament was your number. But it was the more caps, the lower your number. Save any faffing about
 
Growing up it was usually 4--4-2
9 was the main goal scorer (super Ally) 10 was his big target man partner (Hateley)
That's how I always seen it growing up.
11 usually a left winger
 
From long ago :)) and originally in a 2 3 5 formation.
2 RB 3 LB
4 RH 5 CH 6 LH
7 RW 8 IR 9 CF 10 IL 11 LW
I imagine the changing tactics and formations lead to the CH and one of the wing halves dropping back while the two inside forwards dropped into midfield giving the 4 3 3.
This.
I belief Football positions basically followed the idea of the more familiar Rugby code to start with, adding the goal keeper position but numbering from right to left with two Full Backs, Three Half backs and Five forwards - being two “ wingers” , two “Inside Forwards” and a “ Centre”.

What we describe as 2. 3. 5. was probably more correctly 2. 3. 2. 3 with the front five in the W shape.
 
The players (or types) I associate with each number are

1. Goalie
2. Gary Stevens
3. Davie Robertson
4. Richard Gough
5. Nigel Spackman
6. Barry Ferguson
7. Trevor Steven
8. Paul Gascoigne
9. Ally McCoist
10. Mark Hateley
11. Brian Laudrup

14. Johan Cruyff
Pretty good. I would change Cruyff for Ronald de Boer though !
 
Number 10 only became significant because Pele then Maradona wore it, otherwise the inside left wore it no matter how influential he was on the team.
 
soccer-player-positions-4-4-2.gif
 
The players (or types) I associate with each number are

1. Goalie
2. Gary Stevens
3. Davie Robertson
4. Richard Gough
5. Nigel Spackman
6. Barry Ferguson
7. Trevor Steven
8. Paul Gascoigne
9. Ally McCoist
10. Mark Hateley
11. Brian Laudrup

14. Johan Cruyff
Tell us your over 40 years old without telling us your over 40 lol.

Number 14 is Henry for me.
 
Gerd Muller always wore 13 for West Germany.

Argentina 1978 WC squad were numbered alphabetically.
Osvaldo Ardiles was either No.1 or 2.
Ardiles was number 1 which looked odd as F'ck and think it was 82 WC when Argentina numbered the squad alphabetically. But I could be wrong!
 
When was the last time we used 1-11 shirt numbers on a competitive game?

I don’t know the answer, so it’s not a quiz question!!
 
That number on the back of the shirt.. I used to wonder when I was a lot younger what each number signified for the team. Although some teams and players are moving away from the traditional number - still very much used today.

For me, I want to see a good old number 10 shirt in the ranks. The playmaker, attacking the opposition and being able to control the play around him.


No.2
Defence – usually RB but not always.. Tav

No.3
Defence - usually LB - Roberto Carlos, our own Bassey

No.4 & 5
Defence - usually CD

No.6
Defence and MF - usually CD or Defensive Mid

No.7 usually wingers and strikers.. CR7?

No.8 - the MF that can score goals and control the play too.. think Stevie G, Iniesta, Kakaaaaa

No.9 - Strikers. Usually the main striker.. think R9 Ronaldooooo and Suarezzzz

No.10 - Attacking Mid - the playmaker..think Ozil, Baggio, Zidane

No.11 - Left Winger.. think Brian Laudrup, Giggs, Romarioo

Sorry! Lack of football action has got me bored. Probably seems common knowledge but I find the history of that shirt number interesting. Reminds you of some of the great players of today and yesterday
I am currently 3 seasons deep in manager mode on fifa 22. I go in and edit all their squad numbers from 1-11. Hate having number 42 at LB or 17 as striker.
Old timer loyal
 
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