BrewCrew Posted August 12, 2010 Posted August 12, 2010 What is the process of a player getting a certtain number on their shirt? For example, would Kakuta ever change from the number 44? Does he decide he wants to change or does the clubs just decide to give him a special number? Maybe 7? Also, if and when Ramires and Neymar come here, who decides what number they get? I can see Ramires wearing 4 and Neymar wearing 9.
Uno Posted August 12, 2010 Posted August 12, 2010 I think the player can request certain numbers and as long as they are free i would assume they would get them. I think the numnber is agreed when the contracts are signed.
TheWestwayWonder Posted August 12, 2010 Posted August 12, 2010 I dont know when they are agreed, but in American sports there is an established tradition by which older, more veteran can "buy" a number off a willing youngster in exchange for money, a favor, a gift of some kind. Whatever. For what its worth. I assume youngsters are free to select what is open. Remember two years ago, Di Santo was given the #9 shirt, though he was brand new. I am guessing if a new signing wanted it, it wouldve been a case of talking it out between them. I think at a club like Real Madrid it is much more heavily controlled. When Kaka signed, Fernando Gago had the number 8. He supposedly gave it up as a welcoming gift. But I suspect that and other cases were engineered to get their biggest stars the best numbers. It always puzzled me why the unveiling of Ronaldo and Kaka gave them #9 and #8, when Sneijder and Robben (#10 and #11) were pretty much finished there. It just seemed werid at the time but I guess they wanted to get them simple numbers, and sell jerseys asap. Of course, now Ronaldo is #7 and Benzema has taken #9 which is alot more traditional. Lass Diarra is still the #10 though. Work that one out.
geezer Posted August 12, 2010 Posted August 12, 2010 They pick the numbers out of a hat. I ended up with 6 and 7/8ths
BrewCrew Posted August 13, 2010 Author Posted August 13, 2010 Picking numbers obviously makes sense, but how do you get to that point. Wouldn't Kakuta and others like Borini pick different numbers from 44 and 45? You would think Kakuta would have taken 10 before Yossi came or even take 7. The club must not allow it.
fester Posted August 13, 2010 Posted August 13, 2010 I think established players get to choose a (free) number, whereas younger players are assigned a number. The problem you then get is that footballers are such superstitious little things that they never want to change their number. For example, JT chose / was given 26 I suspect because 6 and 16 were taken at the time and he wanted a '6' number. He has never taken 6 although it's available and will be forever 26, and that shirt will undoubtedly be retired when JT has finished with it. Hopefully, when the like of Kakuta become establised in the squad they will decide to become 4 not 44, but we'll have to see what happens.
Valerie Posted August 13, 2010 Posted August 13, 2010 I think established players get to choose a (free) number, whereas younger players are assigned a number. The problem you then get is that footballers are such superstitious little things that they never want to change their number. For example, JT chose / was given 26 I suspect because 6 and 16 were taken at the time and he wanted a '6' number. He has never taken 6 although it's available and will be forever 26, and that shirt will undoubtedly be retired when JT has finished with it. Hopefully, when the like of Kakuta become establised in the squad they will decide to become 4 not 44, but we'll have to see what happens. I thought JT chose 26 because he wanted to do one better than Zola (who had squadnumber 25, as we all know).
Gem Posted August 13, 2010 Posted August 13, 2010 I thought JT chose 26 because he wanted to do one better than Zola (who had squadnumber 25, as we all know). Correct, he wanted to go one better with Chelsea than Zola did. Cocky lad :D
fester Posted August 13, 2010 Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) Correct, he wanted to go one better with Chelsea than Zola did. Cocky lad :D I suspect that is a myth that has developed. Look at our first set of squad numbers... Desa No 6 & Robbie Di 16... Desa was JT mentor so next '6' number was 26, plus that's where the young players numbers were at that time: 1 Ed De Goey 2 Dan Petrescu 3 Celestine Babayaro 4 Jes Hogh 5 Frank Leboeuf 6 Marcel Desailly 8 Gustavo Poyet 9 Chris Sutton 10 Pier Luigi Casiraghi 11 Dennis Wise 12 Bjaerne Goldbaek 13 Kevin Hitchcock 14 Graeme Le Saux 15 Mario Melchiot 16 Roberto Di Matteo 17 Albert Ferrer 18 Gabriele Ambrosetti 19 Tore Andre Flo 20 Jody Morris 21 Bernard Lambourde 22 Mark Nicholls 23 Carlo Cudicini 24 Samuele Dalla Bona 25 Gianfranco Zola 26 John Terry 28 Robert Wolleaston 29 Neil Clement 30 Emerson Thome 31 George Weah 32 Mikael Forssell 33 Luca Percassi 34 Jon Harley Interestingly no number 7 even them! Edited August 13, 2010 by fester
deg0ey Posted August 13, 2010 Posted August 13, 2010 (edited) I thought JT chose 26 because he wanted to do one better than Zola (who had squadnumber 25, as we all know). Does anyone know what number GZ played before he came to us? Was his 25 a hangover from being given a high number at a young age that he decided to stick with, or did he only pick it up when he came here? EDIT: Also, looking at the list that fester has posted, the only vacant number lower than 26 was number 7 - it's a shame he didn't take that and save us all the aggro. EDIT 2: Didn't see fester already mentioned that underneath *facepalm* Edited August 13, 2010 by deg0ey
PloKoon13 Posted August 13, 2010 Posted August 13, 2010 Wasn't one of the reasons Gallas left that Ballack had taken his favourite number 13?
TheWestwayWonder Posted August 13, 2010 Posted August 13, 2010 I always thought the JT "one better than Franco" thing was just a joke after he got the number, not the reason he selected it. Wasn't one of the reasons Gallas left that Ballack had taken his favourite number 13? When the whole contract negociations were going south, and Gallas was throwing a fit daily, he refused to go with the rest of the team on a US tour for preseason. That was the event which supposedly prompted the club to punish him by giving Ballack his number. If I recall correctly, he was our number 3 for a few weeks, before the infamous trade with Arsenal brought us a better number 3.
steve25cfc Posted August 13, 2010 Posted August 13, 2010 I suspect that is a myth that has developed. Look at our first set of squad numbers... Desa No 6 & Robbie Di 16... Desa was JT mentor so next '6' number was 26, plus that's where the young players numbers were at that time: Interestingly no number 7 even them! apparently the number 7 shirt is believed to be jinxed, i think the last three players to wear it were Bogarde, mutu & Shevchenko
hennerzcfc Posted August 16, 2010 Posted August 16, 2010 zola got number 25 as he wanted 10 but sparky had it so every shirt zola had a x between the 2 and 5
Bez Posted August 16, 2010 Posted August 16, 2010 Uhm.. Ramires is now the new number 7 I was expecting him to take 6, that's a real shame i wanted Kakuta for number 7.
Gem Posted August 16, 2010 Posted August 16, 2010 Well maybe it'll take a non-attacker to break the curse.
jcm28 Posted August 16, 2010 Posted August 16, 2010 A kakuta #7 shirt would have looked awesome. Ohh well, I guess he'll have to take #4 now.
MHedges Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 I remember when Deco came, Paulo gave the number 20 to him and took number 19 for himself. They were friends, and Deco has a sports academy that uses that number all over it.
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