Thirty years of squad numbers

Every number worn in eight leagues since 1993/94, and what changed. Pick a league or a club to ask the same questions of it.

EnglandPremier LeagueEFL ChampionshipEFL League OneEFL League TwoLa LigaBundesligaSerie ALigue 1All leagues

The drift away from 1–11

In 1993/94, 38.1% of the numbers issued were 1–11. By 2025/26 it was 29.6%, a fall of 8.5 points. The average number rose from 15.5 to 23.4.

0%25%50%75%100%93/9498/9903/0408/0913/1418/1923/2425/2693/94: 38.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 15.5)94/95: 38.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 15.4)95/96: 39.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 14.8)96/97: 38.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 15.6)97/98: 36.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 16.2)98/99: 35.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 16.5)99/00: 35% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 16.9)00/01: 33.8% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.7)01/02: 34.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.8)02/03: 34.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.1)03/04: 34.6% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.9)04/05: 34% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.7)05/06: 34.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.7)06/07: 33.6% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.2)07/08: 33.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19)08/09: 32.8% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.4)09/10: 31.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.9)10/11: 32.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20)11/12: 32.5% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.8)12/13: 32.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.9)13/14: 32.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.7)14/15: 32.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.3)15/16: 32.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.4)16/17: 32.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.5)17/18: 31.6% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.6)18/19: 31.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.4)19/20: 31.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 21.1)20/21: 30.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 21.7)21/22: 30.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 22)22/23: 31% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 22.2)23/24: 30.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 22.5)24/25: 31% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 22.3)25/26: 29.6% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 23.4)38.1%29.6%
See the numbers
Season1–11AverageNumbers
1993/9438.1%15.5598
1994/9538.7%15.4586
1995/9639.7%14.81,570
1996/9738.3%15.61,700
1997/9836.7%16.21,822
1998/9935.7%16.51,895
1999/200035%16.93,436
2000/0133.8%17.73,526
2001/0234.2%17.83,413
2002/0334.3%18.13,590
2003/0434.6%17.93,372
2004/0534%18.73,590
2005/0634.3%18.73,442
2006/0733.6%19.23,851
2007/0833.3%194,208
2008/0932.8%19.44,457
2009/1031.9%19.94,681
2010/1132.4%205,117
2011/1232.5%19.84,964
2012/1332.1%19.95,178
2013/1432.7%19.75,057
2014/1532.2%20.35,031
2015/1632.2%20.44,969
2016/1732.4%20.55,206
2017/1831.6%20.65,206
2018/1931.9%20.44,839
2019/2031.4%21.15,046
2020/2130.3%21.75,580
2021/2230.7%225,224
2022/2331%22.24,985
2023/2430.3%22.55,769
2024/2531%22.35,687
2025/2629.6%23.45,218

Which numbers get worn

#8 is the most-worn number in this selection, 4,205 times. The thinnest end of the tail is #74, worn 29.

110203040506070809099#1: worn 4,094 times (3.0%)#2: worn 3,846 times (2.8%)#3: worn 3,971 times (2.9%)#4: worn 4,077 times (3.0%)#5: worn 4,085 times (3.0%)#6: worn 4,056 times (2.9%)#7: worn 4,173 times (3.0%)#8: worn 4,205 times (3.1%)#9: worn 4,123 times (3.0%)#10: worn 4,131 times (3.0%)#11: worn 4,142 times (3.0%)#12: worn 3,200 times (2.3%)#13: worn 2,956 times (2.1%)#14: worn 3,977 times (2.9%)#15: worn 3,791 times (2.8%)#16: worn 3,741 times (2.7%)#17: worn 3,987 times (2.9%)#18: worn 3,954 times (2.9%)#19: worn 3,979 times (2.9%)#20: worn 3,989 times (2.9%)#21: worn 3,877 times (2.8%)#22: worn 3,895 times (2.8%)#23: worn 3,907 times (2.8%)#24: worn 3,627 times (2.6%)#25: worn 3,378 times (2.5%)#26: worn 3,159 times (2.3%)#27: worn 3,258 times (2.4%)#28: worn 2,976 times (2.2%)#29: worn 2,840 times (2.1%)#30: worn 2,871 times (2.1%)#31: worn 2,316 times (1.7%)#32: worn 2,250 times (1.6%)#33: worn 2,406 times (1.7%)#34: worn 1,815 times (1.3%)#35: worn 1,589 times (1.2%)#36: worn 1,353 times (1.0%)#37: worn 1,327 times (1.0%)#38: worn 1,137 times (0.8%)#39: worn 1,128 times (0.8%)#40: worn 1,162 times (0.8%)#41: worn 701 times (0.5%)#42: worn 707 times (0.5%)#43: worn 475 times (0.3%)#44: worn 779 times (0.6%)#45: worn 540 times (0.4%)#46: worn 363 times (0.3%)#47: worn 378 times (0.3%)#48: worn 280 times (0.2%)#49: worn 267 times (0.2%)#50: worn 257 times (0.2%)#51: worn 158 times (0.1%)#52: worn 137 times (0.1%)#53: worn 139 times (0.1%)#54: worn 103 times (0.1%)#55: worn 180 times (0.1%)#56: worn 109 times (0.1%)#57: worn 83 times (0.1%)#58: worn 75 times (0.1%)#59: worn 82 times (0.1%)#60: worn 62 times (0.0%)#61: worn 70 times (0.1%)#62: worn 66 times (0.0%)#63: worn 62 times (0.0%)#64: worn 61 times (0.0%)#65: worn 45 times (0.0%)#66: worn 79 times (0.1%)#67: worn 55 times (0.0%)#68: worn 56 times (0.0%)#69: worn 61 times (0.0%)#70: worn 108 times (0.1%)#71: worn 49 times (0.0%)#72: worn 74 times (0.1%)#73: worn 38 times (0.0%)#74: worn 29 times (0.0%)#75: worn 39 times (0.0%)#76: worn 44 times (0.0%)#77: worn 316 times (0.2%)#78: worn 46 times (0.0%)#79: worn 65 times (0.0%)#80: worn 107 times (0.1%)#81: worn 52 times (0.0%)#82: worn 30 times (0.0%)#83: worn 76 times (0.1%)#84: worn 41 times (0.0%)#85: worn 29 times (0.0%)#86: worn 36 times (0.0%)#87: worn 74 times (0.1%)#88: worn 107 times (0.1%)#89: worn 63 times (0.0%)#90: worn 124 times (0.1%)#91: worn 91 times (0.1%)#92: worn 88 times (0.1%)#93: worn 83 times (0.1%)#94: worn 75 times (0.1%)#95: worn 81 times (0.1%)#96: worn 56 times (0.0%)#97: worn 78 times (0.1%)#98: worn 67 times (0.0%)#99: worn 246 times (0.2%)

1–11 in green, 12 and above in blue.

Who leaves out 13

Share of squads that issued 13 at all, since 2000. English lower-league clubs skip it most often.

EFL League TwoEFL League Two: 49.5% of 428 squads used 1349.5%EFL League OneEFL League One: 58.2% of 493 squads used 1358.2%EFL ChampionshipEFL Championship: 62.6% of 609 squads used 1362.6%Ligue 1Ligue 1: 64.7% of 419 squads used 1364.7%Premier LeaguePremier League: 65.5% of 510 squads used 1365.5%BundesligaBundesliga: 75.1% of 382 squads used 1375.1%Serie ASerie A: 75.6% of 505 squads used 1375.6%La LigaLa Liga: 93.6% of 392 squads used 1393.6%

La Liga is shown in a different colour because it isn’t a choice there: Spanish clubs register a first-team squad numbered 1–25, so 13 is issued unless the squad is unusually small. For the same reason, Spain barely appears above 25 and shouldn’t be compared with the rest on the chart above.

The one-number men

Longest unbroken runs in the same number at the same club.

PlayerClubNumberSeasons
Ryan GiggsManchester United#1121 (1993/94–14)
Dean LewingtonMilton Keynes Dons#321 (2004/05–25)
Francesco TottiRoma#1020 (1997/98–17)
Javier ZanettiInter Milan#419 (1995/96–14)
John TerryChelsea#2619 (1998/99–17)
Jamie CarragherLiverpool#2317 (1996/97–13)
Thomas MüllerBayern Munich#2517 (2008/09–25)
Sergio RamosReal Madrid#416 (2005/06–21)
MarceloReal Madrid#1216 (2006/07–22)
Séamus ColemanEverton#2316 (2010/11–26)

Numbers nobody keeps

Most different players in one number at one club since 2000.

ClubNumberPlayers
Port Vale#2526
Port Vale#2724
Port Vale#2024
Colchester United#2723
Port Vale#2623
Colchester United#2222
Hull City#2322
Millwall#1422

When the big numbers arrived

The first season each of these turns up anywhere in the data.

#69 · 1996/97#66 · 2000/01#77 · 2000/01#99 · 2000/01#50 · 2003/04#88 · 2004/05

How to read this

  • The season in progress is left out of the trends. Squads fill up as a season goes on, and the numbers added last are the high ones.
  • Leagues run different rules. Spain numbers its first-team squad 1–25, which decides both how high its numbers go and whether 13 is used, so it is never averaged in silently.
  • The data is compiled from Wikipedia and is thinner for some seasons than others; a season with fewer than 100 numbers on record is left off the trend.

Why players choose their numbers →