Retired numbers in football (soccer)
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Football clubs around the world sometimes retire squad numbers to recognise players' loyal service, or tragic death.
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[edit] Background
This practice, long established in the major North American sports, is a recent development in football since squad numbers were not widely used until the 1990s. Before then, it was typical for players in the starting lineup to be issued numbers 1 to 11 by formation/position on a match-by-match basis, and substitutes to be numbered from 12 upwards, meaning a player might wear different numbers during the season if they were to play in different positions for tactical reasons, or be named to the bench.
Retiring a player's number usually occurs after the player has left the team or retired. It honors a player who has meant so much to his club that they retire the shirt number that the player wore during their time there, meaning no other player is permitted to use that number in the future. In some cases, such as Jason Mayélé, Vittorio Mero, Marc-Vivien Foé and Miklós Fehér, numbers have been retired to posthumously honour a player who died in tragic circumstances while still active.
National teams Argentina and Cameroon have been prevented by FIFA rules dealing with squad numbers for Finals tournaments, from retiring the numbers of Diego Maradona (10) and Marc-Vivien Foé (17) respectively, but in other competitions or friendlies national associations may assign numbers according to criteria of their choosing.
Some clubs dedicate a number to their fans, and do not issue it to any player. The most common number for this practice is 12, from descriptions of the fans as the twelfth man. Clubs reserving number 12 for their supporters include Torino, Fenerbahçe, Feyenoord, Hammarby, Lecce, Lens, Malmö, Norwich City, Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth,Bristol Rovers, Stockport County, Ferencváros, Újpest, Vålerenga, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Cork City F.C.. Reading reserve the number 13 for their supporters, while Panathinaikos reserve this number in honour of Gate 13, the ultras based in the respective gate in home matches.
[edit] Retired numbers
[edit] Special Cases
| Team | # | Player | Position | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dinamo Bucureşti |
11 | Cătălin Hâldan |
Midfielder | -2000 | During the second half of the friendly match Şantierul Naval Olteniţa - FC Dinamo Bucureşti, Hâldan suffered a cerebral vascular accident and later died at a local hospital in Olteniţa. |
 AC Milan |
3 | Paolo Maldini |
Left fullback | 1984-present | The shirt has not been fully retired. Maldini has given consent for his sons to adopt the number 3 shirt if either of them play professionally for the club.[citation needed] |
 Orlando Pirates |
22 | Lesley Manyathela |
Striker | -2004 | The club retired the number 22, after Manyathela died in a car crash in August, 2004. However, Confederation of African Football rules state that jerseys must be numbered 1-30 in continental club competitions, so Pirates now have another player wearing 22. |
 Maccabi Tel-Aviv |
12 | Meni Levi |
Defender | During a game between Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem, Levi chest-controlled and kicked the ball, ran back to defend, then collapsed. He returned to his feet, and then collapsed a second time. He was subsequently on a life-support machine, and has since returned home.[14] | |
 Santos FC |
10 | Pelé |
Striker | 1956-1974 | The club had retired the shirt but re-issued it soon after, due to Conmebol rules, which state that jerseys must be numbered 1-25 in continental club competitions (such as Copa Libertadores, Copa Conmebol, Copa Sudamericana, amongst others). Number 10 is currently worn by Zé Roberto. |
 Universitario de Deportes |
22 | José Luis Carranza |
Midfielder | 1986-2004 | The club had retired the shirt in 2005 but re-issued it soon after, due to Conmebol rules, which state that jerseys must be numbered 1-25 in continental club competitions (such as Copa Libertadores, Copa Conmebol, Copa Sudamericana, amongst others). |
 Dunfermline Athletic |
4 | Norrie McCathie |
Defender | 1996 | The club retired the number after club captain McCathie was found dead in his home on January 8, 1996, as a result of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.[15] At that time, Scottish League clubs used shirt numbers 1-11, so for the remainder of the 1995-96 season, 12 was used instead. However, the number was not retired permanently, and has been reissued since. |
 Stabæk |
7 | Christer Basma |
Central defender | 1995-1998 | The club retired the number to honor his services for the club.[16] The retirement was revoked ahead of the 2004 season, the number given to Henning Hauger. |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Legends - Franco Baresi. Planet World Cup. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ Aldair says arrivederci to Genoa. ATL World Cup Soccer. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ L'addio a Federico Pisani. Una delle pagine più tristi della storia neroazzurra. Atalanta BC Website. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ A death brings fear to the field. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ Brescia in lutto (Italian). RAI Sport. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ Italy 2-0 Russia. Channel 4. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ Chievo honour Mayele. BBC News. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ Sullo ceduto all'Avellino, buona fortuna Sasà... (Italian). FC Messina official website. Retrieved on 27 January 2007.
- ^ "City v Arsenal", Match programme, Manchester City v Arsenal, 2006-08-26, pp. 82.
- ^ Utrecht defender probably died of heart attack. Sports Network. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ Utrecht defender honored. Sports Network. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ Vasco honour Romario by retiring number 11 shirt. ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved on 9 September 2006.
- ^ Jeg var rørt. Viborg FF. Retrieved on 1 November 2005.
- ^ Levi continues rehab at home. Eternal-Allegiance. Retrieved on January 26, 2007.
- ^ NMBF Profile. Norrie McCathie Benevolent Fund. Retrieved on January 26, 2007.
- ^ Stabæk - Rosenborg match report (Norwegian). Stabæk IF official site. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.
