The most famous football players to wear the number 1-50 shirts in soccer history
Football shirt numbers are a huge part of the game. In this blog, Mystery Shirt in a Box highlight the best players to wear the number 1 to 50 in football history.
For this article, no players have been mentioned twice (so you won’t see Ronaldo at 28 or Messi for 30!). Let us know if you agree or disagree with our list of 1-50.
1 - Iker Casillas
The legendary Spanish goalkeeper known for captaining Spain to a World Cup (2010) and two European Championships whilst being one of the greatest keepers ever, primarily wearing this number at Real Madrid and the national team.
2 - Cafu
The epitome of the attacking right-back, the former Brazilian captain was known for his relentless energy and marauding runs, helping Brazil lift the 2002 World Cup, famously wearing the number at AC Milan and for Brazil.
3 - Paolo Maldini
A one-club icon and graceful yet formidable defender, Maldini won countless domestic and five Champions League titles, spending his entire career at AC Milan with the number 3 shirt.
4 - Sergio Ramos
The dominant center-back and captain famed for his last-ditch tackles, aerial threat, and scoring crucial goals in major finals, wore the number 4 during his time at Real Madrid.
5 - Zinedine Zidane
A true artist of the game - Zidane's elegance, vision, and match-winning goals (like his Champions League volley) defined a generation. He wore the number 5 at Real Madrid which inspired Jude Bellingham to take the number when he was signed from Borussia Dortmund.
6 - Xavi Hernández
The orchestrator of Spain and Barcelona's tiki-taka dominance, Xavi's passing, intelligence, and control were unparalleled while wearing this number for Barcelona. Interestingly Xavi wore 6 for Barcelona and 8 for Spain, whilst his midfield teammate Andres Iniesta wore the opposite for club and country.
7 - Cristiano Ronaldo
One of the greatest goalscorers in football history, CR7 shattered records with multiple Champions League titles and Ballon d'Or awards, establishing the brand wearing this number at Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al-Nassr and the Portuguese national team.
8 - Steven Gerrard
The heart and soul of Liverpool throughout the noughties, Gerrard wore the number 8 shirt for Liverpool before wearing it for one final season of his career at LA Galaxy.
9 - Ronaldo Nazário
"El Fenómeno" was quick, clinical and one of the greatest strikers of all time, winning two World Cups and wearing this number for Brazil, Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid & Corinthians (as well as 99 at AC Milan).
10 - Lionel Messi
Arguably the greatest ever player, Messi's wizardry, goalscoring, and playmaking led to countless honors, including a World Cup, while famously wearing this number at Barcelona and for Argentina before Inter Miami.
11 - Ryan Giggs
A Manchester United legend, Giggs' longevity in the Premier League, dazzling wing play, and incredible trophy haul made him a Premier League icon, with him wearing this number throughout his career at Manchester United as well as the Wales national team.
12 - Marcelo
A flairy, attacking left-back known for his incredible dribbling, link-up play, and numerous Champions League titles, wore the number 12 for the entirety of his club career, spanning Real Madrid, Olympiacos and Fluminense.
13 - Thomas Müller
A unique attacking midfielder whose intelligent movement and prolific goalscoring have earned him numerous major honors while wearing this number for Germany, becoming the main holder of this shirt number since Michael Ballack before him.
14 - Thierry Henry
Taking the number 14 shirt from his debut season at Arsenal, Henry went on to become one of the greatest ever Premier League players, carrying this shirt number with him to Barcelona and New York Red Bulls.
15 - Nemanja Vidic
The powerful Serbian centre back and former Manchester United captain wore the number 15 since his arrival at Old Trafford, carrying the shirt number into the final two seasons of his playing career at Inter Milan.
16 - Roy Keane
The embodiment of a strong leader, Keane's combative midfield play and relentless will to win drove Manchester United to unprecedented success wearing this number, turning down the number 7 shirt during his time at the club. Keane remained in shirt number 16 in the final season of his career at Celtic.
17 - Kevin De Bruyne
The midfield maestro - De Bruyne's unparalleled vision and passing range make him one of the most creative players in the modern game and in Premier League history, wore the number 17 at Manchester City.
18 - Paul Scholes
Another Manchester United and Premier League great in this list - deep-lying playmaker, Scholes was celebrated for his passing accuracy and ability to find his man from any distance or angle. Scholes wore the number 18 for the majority of his career at Manchester United.
19 - Karim Benzema
Although he may be best remembered for wearing the 9 at Real Madrid, the Ballon d’Or winner wore the number 19 on his return to the French national team as well as a stint at Lyon.
20 - Diogo Jota
The number 20 is now synonymous with former Liverpool and Portugal striker Diogo Jota who lost his life in 2025. He was Liverpool’s number 20, winning them the 20th league title, and the club since then retiring the number in his honour.
21 - Andrea Pirlo
The deep-lying playmaker role known for his effortlessness on the ball as well as graceful free kicks wore 21 across multiple clubs and the Italian national team, including Brescia, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and New York City FC.
22 - Kaká
A graceful attacking midfielder, Ballon d'Or winner Kaká's won the Champions League wearing the number 22 for AC Milan.
23 - David Beckham
A global icon known for his incredible free-kicks and crossing ability, Beckham chose the number 23 at Real Madrid in honour of Michael Jordan. Since then it has become a vital part of the Beckham brand, with the number following him to his huge move to LA Galaxy.
24 - Claude Makelele
Makelele redefined the holding role with his tenacity and intelligence which saw the defensive midfield position named after him. Prior to signing for Chelsea, Makelele wore this number at Real Madrid.
25 - Gianfranco Zola
The magical forward wore the number 25 at Chelsea across his 7 season stint at the club.
Before heading into the next 25, don’t forget to check out our range of men’s mystery football shirts as well as kid’s mystery football shirt boxes too.
26 - John Terry
A defensive colossus and captain, Terry's leadership and defensive capabilities were central to Chelsea's success during their most dominant era under Mourinho, all whilst wearing the number 26.
27 - David Alaba
Before heading to Real Madrid, the versatile Austrian wore the number 27 at his time at Bayern Munich.
28 - Tomáš Souček
Souček currently wears the number 28 for West Ham, where he played a crucial role in them winning the Europa Conference League in 2023.
29 - Kai Havertz
The German attacking midfielder-cross-striker has worn the number 29 throughout his career, from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea to now Arsenal FC.
30 - David Luiz
The Brazilian defender known for his incredible free kicks and iconic curly hair, wore the number 30 shirt in his second stint at Chelsea.
31 - Bastian Schweinsteiger
The World Cup winning midfielder wore the number 31 shirt his entire club career, spanning Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chicago Fire.
32 - Carlos Tevez
The tenacious and prolific striker whose aggressive style and vital goals made him a fan favorite, wore the number 32 across his career, from West Ham to Manchester United and City, followed by Shanghai Shenhua and Boca Juniors.
33 - Petr Čech
A legendary and consistent goalkeeper known for his commanding presence and iconic head protector, wore the number 33 during his stint at Arsenal after playing for Chelsea.
34 - Granit Xhaka
The hard-hitting midfielder has worn the number 34 shirt for most of his career, wearing it at Basel, Borussia Monchengladbach, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen and Sunderland.
35 - Jermain Defoe
One of the all-time Premier League top goalscorers, Jermain Defoe wore the number 35 during his debut season at West Ham United.
36 - Dele Alli
Better known for his time at Spurs, Dele Alli wore the number 36 during his breakthrough season at MK Dons, as well as during his time at Everton.
37 - Martin Škrtel
The no-nonsense central defender for Liverpool, known for his aggressive tackling, commitment, wore the number 37 shirt during his stay there.
38 - James Milner
The longstanding English midfielder has played for multiple clubs in England’s top flight, however he made his debut in the Premier League for Leeds United, wearing the number 38 shirt.
39 - Nicolas Anelka
The well-traveled French striker wore the number 39 for over 10 seasons at club level, wearing it for Manchester City, Fenerbahce, Bolton, Chelsea, Shanghai Shenhua, West Brom & Mumbai City.
40 - Jack Grealish
During his breakout season at Aston Villa, Grealish wore the number 40 shirt in the claret and blue.
41 - Declan Rice
The commanding English defensive midfielder known for his leadership and ball-winning ability, wearing this number in his early career at West Ham United before choosing to retain the number in his move to Arsenal.
42 - Yaya Touré
The powerhouse midfielder whose driving runs, powerful shots, and crucial goals defined an era for Manchester City, wore the number 42 during his time at the club.
43 - Mateusz Klich
Stating it is a lucky number for him, Klich has worn the number 43 shirt at Cracovia, PEC Zwolle, FC Twente, Leeds United, DC United and Atlanta United.
44 - Ivan Perišić
Perišić has worn the number 44 shirt for multiple clubs in his career, including Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan.
45 - Mario Balotelli
The mercurial striker whose unpredictable brilliance and memorable celebrations made him a cult figure, wore the number 45 shirt for multiple clubs which include Inter Milan, Man City, Liverpool, AC Milan, Brescia, AC Monza, Adana Demispor, FC Sion and Genoa.
46 - Salvatore Sirigu
The Italian goalkeeper has worn the number 46 in two separate stints at Palermo.
47 - Phil Foden
A generational talent for Manchester City and England, Foden has been a serial winner at City, retaining his 47 shirt throughout.
48 - Curtis Jones
The Premier League and Champions League winning midfielder wore the number 48 shirt in his early days of his Liverpool FC career.
49 - Myles Lewis-Skelly
Despite only playing professionally for a few seasons, MLS has made the number 49 shirt his own at Arsenal and turned down changing squad number in favour of retaining his number 49.
50 - Lazar Marković
The technically gifted Serbian winger wore the number 50 shirt during his time at Liverpool.
What do you think of this list? Are there any players missing?
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