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
Narrow to one club
1. FC Heidenheim1. FC Kaiserslautern1. FC Köln1. FC Nürnberg1. FC Union Berlin1. FSV Mainz 05Arminia BielefeldAugsburgBayer 04 LeverkusenBayern MunichBorussia DortmundBorussia MönchengladbachEintracht BraunschweigEintracht FrankfurtEnergie CottbusFortuna DüsseldorfHamburger SVHannover 96Hansa RostockHertha BSCHolstein KielIngolstadt 04KFC Uerdingen 05Karlsruher SCMSV DuisburgRB LeipzigSC FreiburgSC Paderborn 07SSV Ulm 1846SV Darmstadt 98SV ElversbergSV Werder BremenSchalke 04SpVgg Greuther FürthSpVgg UnterhachingSt. PauliTSG 1899 HoffenheimTSV 1860 MunichVfB StuttgartVfL BochumVfL Wolfsburg

The drift away from 1–11

In 1995/96, 44.3% of the numbers issued were 1–11. By 2025/26 it was 29.6%, a fall of 14.7 points. The average number rose from 13.6 to 21.4.

0%25%50%75%100%95/9699/0003/0407/0811/1215/1619/2023/2425/2695/96: 44.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 13.6)96/97: 43% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 13.9)97/98: 38.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 15.4)98/99: 36.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 16.2)99/00: 35.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 16.5)00/01: 34.6% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.1)01/02: 33.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18)02/03: 35.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.7)03/04: 32.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18)04/05: 33.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.6)05/06: 32.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.1)06/07: 35.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.9)07/08: 33.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.7)08/09: 32.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.8)09/10: 29.5% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.1)10/11: 32.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.1)11/12: 32.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.7)12/13: 31.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19)13/14: 34.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.9)14/15: 33.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.5)15/16: 32.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.1)16/17: 31.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.6)17/18: 31.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.5)18/19: 30% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20)19/20: 30.5% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.8)20/21: 29.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.7)21/22: 29.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.8)22/23: 29.8% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 21.5)23/24: 30.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 21)24/25: 31.6% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.5)25/26: 29.6% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 21.4)44.3%29.6%
See the numbers
Season1–11AverageNumbers
1995/9644.3%13.6192
1996/9743%13.9100
1997/9838.9%15.4157
1998/9936.2%16.2141
1999/200035.3%16.5377
2000/0134.6%17.1272
2001/0233.3%18270
2002/0335.3%17.7351
2003/0432.9%18258
2004/0533.2%18.6292
2005/0632.9%18.1225
2006/0735.1%17.9345
2007/0833.2%18.7398
2008/0932.9%18.8422
2009/1029.5%20.1455
2010/1132.4%19.1463
2011/1232.9%18.7304
2012/1331.9%19502
2013/1434.3%17.9440
2014/1533.1%18.5529
2015/1632.2%19.1510
2016/1731.1%19.6573
2017/1831.1%19.5556
2018/1930%20590
2019/2030.5%19.8590
2020/2129.1%20.7591
2021/2229.9%20.8595
2022/2329.8%21.5600
2023/2430.9%21595
2024/2531.6%20.5563
2025/2629.6%21.4587

Which numbers get worn

#1 is the most-worn number in this selection, 423 times. The thinnest end of the tail is #52, worn 1.

110203040506070809099#1: worn 423 times (3.2%)#2: worn 339 times (2.5%)#3: worn 367 times (2.7%)#4: worn 386 times (2.9%)#5: worn 387 times (2.9%)#6: worn 398 times (3.0%)#7: worn 420 times (3.1%)#8: worn 420 times (3.1%)#9: worn 392 times (2.9%)#10: worn 379 times (2.8%)#11: worn 405 times (3.0%)#12: worn 163 times (1.2%)#13: worn 323 times (2.4%)#14: worn 368 times (2.7%)#15: worn 326 times (2.4%)#16: worn 341 times (2.5%)#17: worn 403 times (3.0%)#18: worn 380 times (2.8%)#19: worn 378 times (2.8%)#20: worn 397 times (3.0%)#21: worn 381 times (2.8%)#22: worn 382 times (2.8%)#23: worn 392 times (2.9%)#24: worn 341 times (2.5%)#25: worn 336 times (2.5%)#26: worn 294 times (2.2%)#27: worn 360 times (2.7%)#28: worn 318 times (2.4%)#29: worn 289 times (2.2%)#30: worn 305 times (2.3%)#31: worn 270 times (2.0%)#32: worn 263 times (2.0%)#33: worn 299 times (2.2%)#34: worn 216 times (1.6%)#35: worn 203 times (1.5%)#36: worn 199 times (1.5%)#37: worn 165 times (1.2%)#38: worn 172 times (1.3%)#39: worn 175 times (1.3%)#40: worn 157 times (1.2%)#41: worn 86 times (0.6%)#42: worn 84 times (0.6%)#43: worn 47 times (0.4%)#44: worn 101 times (0.8%)#45: worn 47 times (0.4%)#46: worn 26 times (0.2%)#47: worn 33 times (0.2%)#48: worn 32 times (0.2%)#49: worn 24 times (0.2%)#50: worn 3 times (0.0%)#51: worn 3 times (0.0%)#52: worn 1 times (0.0%)#53: worn 5 times (0.0%)#54: worn 1 times (0.0%)#56: worn 2 times (0.0%)#57: worn 1 times (0.0%)#58: worn 1 times (0.0%)#69: worn 1 times (0.0%)#77: worn 2 times (0.0%)

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
Thomas MüllerBayern Munich#2517 (2008/09–25)
Manuel NeuerBayern Munich#116 (2011/12–27)
Roman WeidenfellerBorussia Dortmund#115 (2003/04–18)
Maximilian ArnoldVfL Wolfsburg#2715 (2011/12–26)
Stefan Bell1. FSV Mainz 05#1615 (2012/13–27)
Marcel SchmelzerBorussia Dortmund#2914 (2008/09–22)
Lars RickenBorussia Dortmund#1813 (1995/96–08)
DedêBorussia Dortmund#1713 (1998/99–11)
Sebastian KehlBorussia Dortmund#513 (2002/03–15)
Oliver BaumannTSG 1899 Hoffenheim#113 (2014/15–27)

Numbers nobody keeps

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

ClubNumberPlayers
Eintracht Frankfurt#916
Eintracht Frankfurt#314
SV Werder Bremen#1914
Hamburger SV#1713
Hamburger SV#813
SV Werder Bremen#913
Schalke 04#2313
VfL Wolfsburg#1413

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 →