9 Footballers Immortalised Through Retired Shirt Numbers
- Think Football Ideas
- Jul 13
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 14
While it is often said that no player is bigger than the club, football has a way of reminding us that some players transcend the pitch. Not by goals alone. Not by trophies. It is the human stories that etch their names into our hearts forever. There are moments where the sport pauses, where stadiums fall silent, jerseys are raised high, and shirt numbers are laid to eternal rest.
In this piece, we journey through the lives and legacies of ten footballers whose shirt numbers were retired, not for what they did, but for who they were. These are stories of loss, glory, heartbreak, and memory. And at the centre of it all is the reason why clubs and their fans chose never to let go.
Below Are 9 Footballers Immortalised Through Retired Shirt Numbers
1. Jude Bellingham (Birmingham City – No. 22)
Seventeen. That’s how old Jude Bellingham was when Birmingham City stunned the football world by retiring his No. 22 shirt in July 2020. On paper, it sounded absurd, retiring a number for a teenager leaving the club? But it wasn't about the age or the stats.
It was about what Bellingham represented. A beacon from the academy, he embodied the hopes of a club seeking stability. And when he secured a £25 million move to Borussia Dortmund, becoming the most expensive 17-year-old in football history, Birmingham made the bold call.
Their reasoning was clear: "to remember one of our own, and to inspire future generations." Fast forward a few years, and Jude’s now dazzling the world in Real Madrid's white. La Liga's Player of the Season in 2024, proving Birmingham’s faith was more than sentiment. These 10 interesting facts about Jude Bellingham offer a deeper look into the life and career of the England midfielder.
2. Diego Maradona (Napoli – No. 10)
Try walking the streets of Naples without seeing Maradona’s face on a wall, a shirt, or a tattoo. It’s nearly impossible. When Napoli officially retired the iconic No. 10 shirt in 2000, it was a gesture soaked in reverence.
Maradona had joined the club in 1984, and within a few years, dragged them from mid-table mediocrity to Serie A champions in 1987 and 1990. Naples, a city often overlooked by Italy’s football elite, found a god in Diego.
Even in death, his connection endured. Nine days after Maradona passed away in November 2020, the club renamed their stadium to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The No. 10 is not retired, it’s eternal.
3. Bobby Moore (West Ham United – No. 6)
There’s class, and then there’s Bobby Moore. Calm. Commanding. Peerless. And for West Ham fans, he wasn’t a player, he was the player.
In 2008, on the 50th anniversary of his debut, West Ham immortalised Moore’s No. 6 shirt. Rightly so. This was the man who captained England to its only World Cup in 1966 and held aloft the Jules Rimet trophy with unmatched grace.
Statues don’t lie, and the one standing proudly outside London Stadium reminds every passerby of a defender who redefined dignity on and off the pitch.
4. Marc-Vivien Foe (Manchester City – No. 23)
June 26, 2003. It was supposed to be another game, Cameroon vs Colombia in the FIFA Confederations Cup. But midway through the second half, Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed on the pitch. Minutes later, football lost a warrior to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Manchester City, where Foe had been playing on loan, retired his No. 23 shirt. This wasn't about club legends or decades of service. It was about a vibrant soul gone too soon, and a club choosing to honour him in the most permanent way. That number, once on Foe’s back, now lives only in memory.
5. Emiliano Sala (Nantes – No. 9)
In January 2019, Emiliano Sala had only completed a dream £15 million move to Cardiff City. Days later, tragedy struck. The small aircraft carrying Sala crashed into the English Channel. He never arrived.
Sala had scored 48 goals in 133 appearances for Nantes, a cult hero whose work rate and heart earned deep respect. The French club swiftly retired his No. 9 shirt, a decision born from sorrow but soaked in love.
Every time fans look at the empty No. 9 slot, they remember a striker who left, not for a bigger payday, but for the next step of a humble journey.
6. George Baldock (Panathinaikos – No. 32)
In October 2023, the Greek football world stood still. George Baldock, an England-born defender who had only joined Panathinaikos, was found dead in his swimming pool in Athens. He was 30.
The coroner's reports confirmed drowning, with no foul play suspected. The club, reeling from the shock, moved quickly, retiring his No. 32 shirt.
It was a short spell, yes. But Baldock had already begun winning hearts in green and white. The club’s decision reflected how quickly football families form — and how deeply they feel.
6. Peter Whittingham (Cardiff City – No. 7)
Peter Whittingham was at Cardiff. Signed in 2007, he stayed over a decade, became a midfield maestro, and racked up 98 goals in 459 appearances. But in March 2020, tragedy struck. A fall at a pub in Barry led to a head injury from which he never recovered. He was only 35.
Cardiff responded in the most heartfelt way, retiring his No. 7 shirt. For fans, this wasn’t a number, it was the jersey that floated in from the left, scored screamers, and dictated tempo. Whitts, as they called him, wasn't flashy. He was ours. And now, his shirt is nobody else’s.
7. Ray Jones (Queens Park Rangers – No. 31)
He was 18. Ray Jones had only started breaking into QPR’s first team when a tragic car crash in August 2007 ended his life and those of his two passengers.
The club postponed their next game and held memorials, but perhaps the most symbolic gesture was the retirement of his No. 31 shirt. At a time when he was full of promise, England U19s were watching, the retirement became a promise from QPR: you’ll always be part of this family.
They even trained in shirts bearing his name, sending a message louder than any whistle, Ray is still here.
9. Diogo Jota (Liverpool – No. 20)
Fresh. Raw. Heart-wrenching. On July 4, 2025, football was brought to its knees. Diogo Jota, a dynamo in Liverpool red and a warrior for Portugal, lost his life in a tragic car crash near Zamora, Spain, alongside his brother Andre Silva. A suspected tyre blowout silenced a player whose game was anything but quiet.
Jota wasn’t Liverpool’s No. 20, he owned it. The pressing, the precision, the poacher’s instinct, he carried it all with a smile and a storm. Fans cried out for that shirt to be laid to rest. Liverpool listened. And on July 11, 2025, at 20:20 BST, the Anfield club announced that the No. 20 shirt was retired across all levels and would never be worn again at Anfield.
This wasn’t merely a symbolic gesture, it was an act of collective love. A city, a club, a fanbase - all saying: “Thank you, Diogo. You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
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