Retired numbers in football (soccer)
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Football teams around the world have retired some squad numbers as a recognition bestowed on a successful player. The practice, long established in the major North American sports, is a recent development in football since squad numbers were not widely used in club competition until the 1990s, before which it was almost universal for players in the starting lineup to be issued numbers 1 to 11, meaning a player might not wear the same number all season.
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 team so his club will 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 outright the numbers of Diego Maradona (10) and Marc-Vivien Foé (17) respectively, but outside of finals competition associations are left to assign numbers according to their own criteria.
[edit] Retired numbers
[edit] Special Cases
| Team | # | Player | Position | Years | Obs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 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 Oltenita. He was the captain of the "Red Dogs", having played 131 first division matches in which he scored 6 times. He was also an international player, with 8 caps and a goal, having played in the squad for Euro 2000. |
 Feyenoord |
12 | Feyenoord fans |
 |
Fans are commonly known as "the twelfth man" or "Het Legioen". This number is therefore reserved for the club's supporters. | |
 AC Milan |
3 | Paolo Maldini |
Left fullback | 1984-present | The shirt has not been fully retired. Maldini has given complete consent for his sons to adopt the number 3 shirt if either of them play professionally for the club. |
 Portsmouth |
12 | Portsmouth fans | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
 Újpest FC |
12 | Újpest FC fans | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
| Reading |
13 | Reading Fans | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
| Plymouth Argyle |
12 | Green Army | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
| Stockport County |
12 | Stockport County fans | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
 Hammarby |
12 | Bajen Fans | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
 Fenerbahçe SK |
12 | Fenerbahçe SK fans | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
| Lecce |
12 | US Lecce fans (Salento) | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
 Zenit |
12 | Zenit's supporters | Reserved for the club's supporters | ||
 Orlando Pirates |
22 | Lesley Manyathela |
Striker | -2004 | The club retired the number 22, after Manyathela died in a car crash in August, 2004. However, the rules of the Confederation of African Football state that jerseys must be numbered 1-30 in continental club competitions, so Pirates now have another player competing in #22, solely for African competitions |
 Santos FC |
10 | Pelé |
Striker | 1956-1974 | The club had retired the number 10 shirt but soon after it was issued again, due to the rules of the Conmebol state that jerseys had to be numbered 1-25 in continental club competitions (such as Copa Libertadores, Copa Conmebol, Copa Sudamericana, among others. In fact, number 10 is currently worn by Ze Roberto. |
 Dunfermline Athletic |
4 | Norrie McCathie |
Defender | 1996 | The club temporarily retired the number 4, after club captain Norrie McCathie was found dead in his home on January 8th, 1996, as a result of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. At the time, Scottish league clubs used 1-11, so for the remainder of the 1995-96 season, 12 was used. The number was not retired permanently, and has been reissued since then. |
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ 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. 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.
- ^ "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.
