Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City may have won lots of trophies, but they have also handed out some of the most shocking squad numbers in the history of football.
Football is at its best when pure, but long gone are the days when players turned out in the traditional No.1-No.11 shirts, when you knew just where each player would be playing before they stepped onto the field.
Since players were given permanent squad numbers in 1993, all kinds of numbers have been dished out, from the iconic to the downright bizarre.
We’ve taken a look back at some of the real stinkers, which make purists like us wince at the mere thought of seeing the player step out onto the field wearing a number that categorically does not reflect the position in which they are playing.
Joao Cancelo
Following Raheem Sterling’s move to Chelsea, Cancelo has eschewed his old No.27 in favour of the No.7 on his back.
“This is a special number for me,” he told Manchester City’s official site. “It’s my mother’s birthday and it’s also her favourite number.
“I decided to choose this number because I think it brings me luck and I hope it brings luck to the team too, so this year we can win many titles.
You can win all the titles you want, Joao, but you’re still a left-back wearing a No.7 shirt.
Edgar Davids
Player-manager, self-appointed captain, why wouldn’t Davids hand himself the No.1 shirt at Barnet?
“I am going to start this trend,” he said before getting sent off three times in the first eight games of the season, announcing he would not attend any away games which required an overnight stay and eventually leaving the club in January.
When Edgar Davids managed Barnet…made himself captain…gave himself the number 1 shirt…and then got 3 red cards in 6 games. 😂👏 pic.twitter.com/0ddlbyB5R0
— Football Banter (@FbBanterPage) August 24, 2017
Asamoah Gyan
Ever heard of the ‘power of three’ concept? Asamoah Gyan has…
“Three is the shirt I wore as a teenager in Ghana,” he has said about his favourite number. “It is a powerful number.
“If you are lifting something heavy, you count to three before you lift. If you want to warn someone, you warn them once, then twice and the third time you take action.”
William Gallas
When Gallas arrived at Arsenal, Alex Hleb already had dibs on his favoured No.13 shirt, but rather than ask him to swap, the Frenchman’s eyes lit up.
Apparently a midfielder in his younger days, Gallas used…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…