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
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ArsenalAston VillaBarnsleyBirmingham CityBlackburn RoversBlackpoolBolton WanderersBournemouthBradford CityBrentfordBrightonBurnleyCardiff CityCharlton AthleticChelseaCoventryCrystal PalaceDerby CountyEvertonFulhamHuddersfield TownHull CityIpswichLeedsLeicesterLiverpoolLuton TownManchester CityManchester UnitedMiddlesbroughNewcastleNorwich CityNottingham ForestOldham AthleticPortsmouthQueens Park RangersReadingSheffield UnitedSheffield WednesdaySouthamptonStoke CitySunderlandSwansea CitySwindon TownTottenhamWatfordWest Bromwich AlbionWest HamWigan AthleticWimbledonWolves

The drift away from 1–11

In 1993/94, 38.1% of the numbers issued were 1–11. By 2025/26 it was 30.8%, a fall of 7.3 points. The average number rose from 15.5 to 24.2.

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: 35.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 16.1)96/97: 36.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 16.4)97/98: 36.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 16.7)98/99: 32.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.9)99/00: 33.8% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.7)00/01: 32.5% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.2)01/02: 35.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 17.4)02/03: 32.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.6)03/04: 34.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.3)04/05: 33% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.1)05/06: 33.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.7)06/07: 32.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 18.9)07/08: 31.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.8)08/09: 30.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.2)09/10: 28.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.9)10/11: 29.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.8)11/12: 28.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 21.6)12/13: 29.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 21.3)13/14: 30.4% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.6)14/15: 30.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.7)15/16: 29.5% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 22.6)16/17: 33.9% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 19.4)17/18: 31.7% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.5)18/19: 32.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 20.6)19/20: 30.3% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 24)20/21: 30% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 23.5)21/22: 29.5% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 24.7)22/23: 29.1% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 24.1)23/24: 28.8% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 24.5)24/25: 30.2% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 23.8)25/26: 30.8% of numbers are 1–11 (average number 24.2)38.1%30.8%
See the numbers
Season1–11AverageNumbers
1993/9438.1%15.5598
1994/9538.7%15.4586
1995/9635.7%16.1561
1996/9736.4%16.4602
1997/9836.4%16.7563
1998/9932.7%17.9654
1999/200033.8%17.7624
2000/0132.5%18.2649
2001/0235.1%17.4596
2002/0332.1%18.6641
2003/0434.4%18.3610
2004/0533%18.1610
2005/0633.2%18.7635
2006/0732.7%18.9639
2007/0831.2%19.8666
2008/0930.4%20.2648
2009/1028.4%20.9703
2010/1129.4%20.8705
2011/1228.3%21.6735
2012/1329.2%21.3716
2013/1430.4%20.6680
2014/1530.9%20.7679
2015/1629.5%22.6637
2016/1733.9%19.4608
2017/1831.7%20.5609
2018/1932.3%20.6595
2019/2030.3%24621
2020/2130%23.5689
2021/2229.5%24.7668
2022/2329.1%24.1715
2023/2428.8%24.5720
2024/2530.2%23.8666
2025/2630.8%24.2665

Which numbers get worn

#8 is the most-worn number in this selection, 652 times. The thinnest end of the tail is #85, worn 1.

110203040506070809099#1: worn 627 times (2.9%)#2: worn 613 times (2.8%)#3: worn 629 times (2.9%)#4: worn 633 times (2.9%)#5: worn 641 times (2.9%)#6: worn 624 times (2.9%)#7: worn 645 times (2.9%)#8: worn 652 times (3.0%)#9: worn 632 times (2.9%)#10: worn 652 times (3.0%)#11: worn 645 times (2.9%)#12: worn 552 times (2.5%)#13: worn 460 times (2.1%)#14: worn 618 times (2.8%)#15: worn 598 times (2.7%)#16: worn 563 times (2.6%)#17: worn 614 times (2.8%)#18: worn 618 times (2.8%)#19: worn 601 times (2.7%)#20: worn 615 times (2.8%)#21: worn 593 times (2.7%)#22: worn 592 times (2.7%)#23: worn 584 times (2.7%)#24: worn 546 times (2.5%)#25: worn 515 times (2.4%)#26: worn 494 times (2.3%)#27: worn 490 times (2.2%)#28: worn 458 times (2.1%)#29: worn 441 times (2.0%)#30: worn 446 times (2.0%)#31: worn 379 times (1.7%)#32: worn 355 times (1.6%)#33: worn 406 times (1.9%)#34: worn 299 times (1.4%)#35: worn 260 times (1.2%)#36: worn 228 times (1.0%)#37: worn 249 times (1.1%)#38: worn 211 times (1.0%)#39: worn 194 times (0.9%)#40: worn 172 times (0.8%)#41: worn 145 times (0.7%)#42: worn 167 times (0.8%)#43: worn 111 times (0.5%)#44: worn 131 times (0.6%)#45: worn 123 times (0.6%)#46: worn 92 times (0.4%)#47: worn 101 times (0.5%)#48: worn 59 times (0.3%)#49: worn 72 times (0.3%)#50: worn 56 times (0.3%)#51: worn 48 times (0.2%)#52: worn 38 times (0.2%)#53: worn 48 times (0.2%)#54: worn 35 times (0.2%)#55: worn 34 times (0.2%)#56: worn 35 times (0.2%)#57: worn 24 times (0.1%)#58: worn 28 times (0.1%)#59: worn 30 times (0.1%)#60: worn 18 times (0.1%)#61: worn 19 times (0.1%)#62: worn 36 times (0.2%)#63: worn 18 times (0.1%)#64: worn 27 times (0.1%)#65: worn 12 times (0.1%)#66: worn 21 times (0.1%)#67: worn 19 times (0.1%)#68: worn 15 times (0.1%)#69: worn 11 times (0.1%)#70: worn 10 times (0.0%)#71: worn 7 times (0.0%)#72: worn 14 times (0.1%)#73: worn 9 times (0.0%)#74: worn 5 times (0.0%)#75: worn 16 times (0.1%)#76: worn 13 times (0.1%)#77: worn 15 times (0.1%)#78: worn 7 times (0.0%)#79: worn 3 times (0.0%)#80: worn 8 times (0.0%)#81: worn 9 times (0.0%)#82: worn 9 times (0.0%)#83: worn 4 times (0.0%)#84: worn 6 times (0.0%)#85: worn 1 times (0.0%)#86: worn 2 times (0.0%)#87: worn 4 times (0.0%)#89: worn 2 times (0.0%)#90: worn 1 times (0.0%)#91: worn 2 times (0.0%)#92: worn 4 times (0.0%)#93: worn 2 times (0.0%)#94: worn 3 times (0.0%)#95: worn 3 times (0.0%)#96: worn 1 times (0.0%)#97: worn 3 times (0.0%)#98: worn 2 times (0.0%)#99: worn 1 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
Ryan GiggsManchester United#1121 (1993/94–14)
John TerryChelsea#2619 (1998/99–17)
Jamie CarragherLiverpool#2317 (1996/97–13)
Séamus ColemanEverton#2316 (2010/11–26)
Gary NevilleManchester United#215 (1996/97–11)
Paul ScholesManchester United#1815 (1996/97–11)
Ledley KingTottenham#2614 (1998/99–12)
Roy KeaneManchester United#1613 (1993/94–06)
Frank LampardChelsea#813 (2001/02–14)
Leighton BainesEverton#313 (2007/08–20)

Numbers nobody keeps

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

ClubNumberPlayers
Aston Villa#2015
Chelsea#915
Chelsea#1714
Everton#1914
Everton#1014
Fulham#914
Sunderland#1214
Tottenham#1614

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 →