Most Iconic Shirt Numbers For Each Big Six Premier League Club

August 14th: mark the date. As 60,000 fans roar beneath Anfield’s floodlights and the world’s cameras switch to Liverpool v Bournemouth, a relentlessly competitive new Premier League chapter is ignited. The new campaign gets underway following a summer transfer market that’s shattered records, rewritten allegiances, and sent headlines spinning. 

A Blockbuster Summer 

The aforementioned Reds head into the new campaign as the reigning champions, but it’s their dealings throughout the offseason that have taken the world by storm. Liverpool are not usually known as the Premier League’s biggest spenders, but they have already forked out well over £200m on a slew of blockbuster additions headlined by the British record £116m deal for German playmaker Florian Wirtz. Chelsea and Arsenal have also spent big, leaving fans salivating at the prospect of what they’re set to witness between August and next May. 

But sports fans are also excited for another reason. The launch of the Lucky Rebel website is something that has flown somewhat under the radar a little, but supporters who are aware of it cannot wait for the offering, soon-to-be available to them. The new outlet will be bringing an almighty load of Premier League-related content upon its launch in mid-August, keeping fans enthralled from the kick-off to the full-time whistle. 

But as these new seasons gear up for their debut campaigns with their new clubs, another point of interest is the number that will be worn on their backs. Some kit numbers hold huge significance with Premier League clubs, and here are the ones that matter the most to each of the ‘Big Six.’ 

Arsenal — No. 14

There are numbers, and there are moments. For Arsenal, No. 14 is both—a red blur spinning past defenders, a flash of brilliance on the counter, a record 228 goals, and a legend by the name of Thierry Henry. No player has defined a club’s era quite like the French superstar did: four Golden Boots, the swaggering colossus leading the Invincibles to immortality in 2003–04. and not just Arsenal’s greatest, but also the Premier League’s.

Long before the 1998 World Cup winner’s era, Alan Smith wore 14, setting the groundwork for the legend to come, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang later seized the number and echoed Henry with FA Cup glory, captaincy, and a string of vital goals. Now the stage is freshly set for the Gunners’ newest No. 14, Viktor Gyökeres. 

The prolific Swede has arrived at the Emirates this summer off the back of a goal-laden run in Portugal with Sporting CP, and he heads to the Emirates with one task and one task only. Score the goals that propel Arsenal to a first Premier League title in over two decades. 

Chelsea — No. 8

Frank Lampard tilting his finger to the Stamford Bridge sky. That’s the enduring image—Chelsea’s No. 8 in blue, unstoppable from box-to-box, scorer of 211 goals. A midfielder shattering all scoring records; Lampard’s consistency and clutch moments defined the ruthless Chelsea of the Mourinho era as trophies poured in and dusk fell on one footballing dynasty after another (Sky Sports).

Before him, Dennis Wise patrolled the late ‘90s Bridge, rousing fans with grit and clever passing. Now, the number belongs to Enzo Fernández, the World Cup-winning Argentine whose maturity and range have rekindled hope after turbulent spells. The expectation is titanic: can the new No. 8 emulate Lampard’s relentless excellence and lead Chelsea back to the summit of English football?

Liverpool — No. 9

Few shirts in any sport weigh quite like the Liverpool No. 9. History echoes through every Kop End finish: Ian Rush, legendary for 346 goals and clinical poise, set the gold standard; Fernando Torres, with 81 in 142, ignited Anfield with sublime pace, predatory instinct, and a license for Reds to dream again.

Both Steven Gerrard’s No. 8 and Kenny Dalglish/Luis Suarez’s No. 7 deserve mentions, and arguably, both have seen better players wear them. However, there is something special about being Liverpool’s No. 9. Shine, and the Kop End will adore you more than you can ever imagine. Shrink and, well, just ask Darwin Nunez. 

Manchester City — No. 10

The moment: 93:20, May 13, 2012. Sergio Agüero, sleeve clinging to No. 10, slips past one QPR defender—“Agüerooooo!”—a seismic goal, an entire era of Manchester City rewritten in a split second. The Argentine’s 184 Premier League goals, countless moments of technical audacity and nerveless finishing, elevated No. 10 from a jersey to a club institution.

City’s first “Galáctico,” Robinho, donned the number as the club’s oil-rich ambitions began, but it was Agüero, season after season, who delivered on those wild expectations. Today, Jack Grealish shoulders the famous digits, although he, too, is struggling to emerge from the almighty shadow cast by those before. 

Manchester United — No. 7

If ever a club elevated a shirt above all others, it’s Manchester United and No. 7. This is no ordinary digit: it’s arguably the holy grail. George Best’s flair, Bryan Robson’s relentless leadership, Eric Cantona’s enigmatic genius, David Beckham’s free-kicks, Cristiano Ronaldo’s magic—the roll call is legendary. Mason Mount is the current man tasked with shouldering the burden, but to say he has struggled would be an understatement. 

Tottenham Hotspur — No. 10

White Hart Lane to the stunning Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: the tradition persists. For Spurs, No. 10 is a vessel of magic. Harry Kane, now immortal as club top scorer—over 280 goals, a record that dwarfs previous marks—wore the number perhaps better than anyone. Some did, however, lay the foundations. 

Glenn Hoddle wore the ten with balletic vision in the ‘80s, Teddy Sheringham with a bully presence, Robbie Keane with a showman’s swagger. Spurs’ No. 10 is what the hero of the hour wears. James Maddison, fill those boots… if you can.