[Dark Savante]

I think everyone knows Cruyff adorned himself with the 14 because he wanted his own number to make unqiue, but I've always wondered why:

Osvaldo(Ossie) Ardiles wore #1 when he was a defensive midfielder.

Vitor Baia wearing #99

I'm sure there are many more examples of players wearing bizarre shirt numbers, feel free to add them on. I would love to know the story behind these two in particular though. Anyone have the scoop?




Anyone remember Zamorana wearing 1+8 (IIRC) when Ronaldo went to Inter? lol, quite possibly the stupidest number I've ever seen!

[Excape Goat]

Originally Posted by Dark Savante

Osvaldo(Ossie) Ardiles wore #1 when he was a defensive midfielder.


Anyone remember Zamorana wearing 1+8 (IIRC) when Ronaldo went to Inter? lol, quite possibly the stupidest number I've ever seen!

asf should correct me. I think Argentina used alphabetic order for numbering. Maradona was the exceptional.

Zamorana's shirt is a collector item.

Beckham's reason for 23?????

[Bertje]

Van der Vaart wanted the #23 shirt at HSV, because he had his best seasons at Ajax in that shirt.

[lanman]

Originally Posted by Excape Goat

asf should correct me. I think Argentina used alphabetic order for numbering.

The first year it was introduced in England Charlton used alphabetical order. Stuart Balmer wore #1.

[comme]

Originally Posted by Excape Goat

asf should correct me. I think Argentina used alphabetic order for numbering. Maradona was the exceptional.

Zamorana's shirt is a collector item.

Beckham's reason for 23?????

Beckham wears 23 because it was Michael Jordan's shirt number. IIRC, Jordan himself wore 23 because his brother wore 45, and as that shirt was unavailable to him he wore 23, roughly half 45.

[Cassano]

Originally Posted by Dark Savante

Anyone remember Zamorano wearing 1+8 (IIRC) when Ronaldo went to Inter? lol, quite possibly the stupidest number I've ever seen!

He got mad that he had to give up his #9 to Ronaldo, so he figured he'd take 18 with a plus sign so he has technically be "#9" [1+8=9].

Francesco Coco used to wear #77 at Milan and Inter.

Cristiano Lupatelli, ex-goalkeeper of Chievo and Roma, and now goalkeeper of Parma, wore the number 10 at Chievo [strange having your goalkeeper be the #10]....

[gaijin]

Pantelis Kafes wears no1.

Strange thing is, he is an outfield player!

More often than not you still players with 70's and 80's as the year they were born.

Celsinho at Lokomotiv will wear 88, because he was born in 1988.

[Cassano]

Salvatore Foti of Sampdoria has number 88 because he was born in 1988.

[schafer]

Who's the guy at Livorno who wears 99? (Lucarelli?)

[Craps]

are there any outfield players who wear 00 or 0?