Is No 10 still the best, or No 41? The myths and maths of Premier League shirt numbers
On 11 November 2026, an analysis using Opta and Transfermarkt data examined Premier League squad numbers, comparing goals scored and market values since fixed squad numbers were introduced in 1993.
The report notes that retail customisation varies — adding two digits to Arsenal’s 2026-27 home shirt costs £8 while Manchester City charge £16 whether a name is added or not — and contrasts football’s numbering choices with baseball, where Juan Soto bought Brett Baty a $92,000 (£69,000) car to acquire number 22 when joining the New York Mets. Transfermarkt records show every number from 1 to 99 has been used by at least one current Premier League club, with no omissions until numbers above 45; Brentford and Manchester City have issued 99 and 98 respectively but never 46, Chelsea’s highest-used number is 81, and Everton had their second No 10 of the 2026-27 season while lacking a No 7 and a No 9 at that time.
The history of numbered shirts dates back to 1911, with starting players normally wearing numbers 1 to 11 until the 1990s; iconic players such as Kenny Dalglish helped attach cultural value to specific numbers, and the modern game has seen squad numbers become part of individual players’ brands. Opta’s dataset on Premier League goals by shirt since 1993 finds the five highest-scoring shirt numbers fall between 7 and 11, while Thierry Henry’s contribution to No 14 sits alongside almost 1,300 goals scored by others who have worn that number. Goals totals are also high among shirts between 17 and 20, which each exceed 1,100 goals in aggregate.
Transfermarkt’s valuations, described in the analysis as a crowd-based theoretical market value and a guide rather than a definitive transfer price, are used to assess the financial worth of shirt numbers across the 2026-27 Premier League. Thirteen players believed to be worth at least €100m between them occupy ten different shirt numbers, and No 11 is not represented among that group. Only one No 9 appears in the top eight most valuable players, while Erling Haaland is identified as the Premier League’s most valuable player; João Pedro is also listed in the €100m cohort.
When shirt numbers are ranked by cumulative market value, No 10 leads with a total of €766m, followed by No 9 on €752m and No 7 on €683.5m, but these high totals do not correspond to the highest average values per shirt. The analysis highlights that average market value depends on the quality of the player or players occupying a number rather than the number’s frequency across squads.
By average market value, No 41 emerges top of the 2026-27 Premier League list, aided by Arsenal’s Declan Rice and the presence of Estêvão, Harry Amass and Jacob Ramsey wearing the same number at other clubs. The piece contrasts the present standings with earlier seasons, noting that in parts of 2018 and 2019, players such as N’Golo Kanté and Raheem Sterling were estimated at €100m while wearing No 7, and Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Sadio Mané each reached similar estimated values while wearing No 10.
The current market-value landscape therefore places the highest cumulative worth with traditional attacking numbers but assigns the highest average value to a higher squad number, with No 41 buoyed largely by Declan Rice’s valuation.
