Carlos Baleba confirmed as Manchester United’s new No. 20, inherits shirt from Diogo Dalot

Manchester United announced on 25 August 2026 that Carlos Baleba, signed from Brighton for £70 million, will wear the club’s No. 20 shirt at Old Trafford; the club said he received the jersey from Diogo Dalot, who vacated the number after the 2024/25 season when he switched to the No. 2 shirt.

Jersey numbers carry historical weight at Manchester United and the No. 20 has been associated with several notable moments and title successes at Old Trafford; the club described the shirt as having a long history that includes iconic moments and significant victories. Baleba is the latest player to inherit that lineage, joining a list of former No. 20s highlighted by the club’s coverage.

Sergio Romero wore the No. 20 shirt from the 2015/16 season until the 2017/18 season while at Manchester United; the Argentine goalkeeper served as a first-team custodian across multiple domestic and European cup campaigns, including United’s 2017 UEFA Europa League victory.

Gary Neville wore No. 20 during the 1995/96 season after Sir Alex Ferguson moved him from 27 to 20 following Paul Parker’s departure that summer; Neville later switched to the No. 2 shirt and retained that number for the remainder of his career at the club.

Robin van Persie selected the No. 20 jersey with the intention of helping Manchester United secure their twentieth league title and went on to win the Premier League in 2012-13, scoring 26 goals in his first season at the club; he subsequently described the No. 20 season as the most memorable of his career because of the title win.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer adopted the No. 20 shirt before the 1996-97 season when Gary Neville moved to No. 2 and continued to wear it until his retirement in 2008; he wore No. 20 in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich and scored the late winning goal in that match.

Dion Dublin is identified in the club’s account as the earliest reported wearer among the five, wearing the No. 20 shirt from 1992 to 1994; squad numbers were officially established starting with the 1993/94 season, and Dublin first wore No. 20 on 22 September 1993.

Baleba’s assignment to the No. 20 shirt continues a sequence of high-profile players to carry the number at Manchester United, linking the newest signing to predecessors from Dion Dublin through to Sergio Romero as the club formally confirmed the change.