The strangest shirt numbers in Premier League history

Football fans have come to associate certain squad numbers with specific positions — so when a player goes against the norm, it can look a little bit strange.

We have compiled a list of some of the oddest number choices in Premier League history.

William Gallas — No10

Many were surprised when Arsenal's No10 shirt — which had just been vacated by legendary striker Dennis Bergkamp — was handed to centre-back William Gallas following his move from Chelsea in 2006.

Boss Arsene Wenger explained: "No3 was uncomfortable for [Gallas] and I had given the rest of the numbers out. In the end, I thought it might be a good idea to give the No10 to a defender, because a striker would suffer a lot with the comparison with Dennis."

Wilfried Bony — No2

Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony decided he wanted the No2 shirt after re-joining Swansea in 2017 spurning the chance of taking the more traditional No9 jersey.

After scoring only two times in 15 Premier League outings upon his return, it is fair to say the controversial decision did not pay any dividends.

Khalid Boulahrouz — No9

The same summer as Gallas, Chelsea ensured they were not out-done by their former player as they handed Khalid Boulahrouz — nicknamed The Cannibal — the No9 shirt.

This was an outlandish shirt choice for the Dutch defender who scored seven career goals from almost 300 appearances.

Steve Sidwell — No9

A year later, Boulahrouz was loaned out to Sevila,, freeing up Jose Mourinho's men to continue their bizarre antics by allocating their cursed No9 shirt to incoming box-to-box midfielder Steve Sidwell.

Sidwell, who lasted just one season at Stamford Bridge, has since said he felt Mourinho gave him the number to send a message to the Blues board about a lack of attacking signings that summer.

Nicklas Bendtner — No52

Nicklas Bendtner opted to switch numbers midway through his Arsenal career from the No26 to No52 because the two numbers added up to seven — a shirt already taken in the Gunners squad but one a fortune teller had identified as the Dane's lucky number.

To avoid any backlash from club supporters, the forward agreed to cover the cost for any fans who had already picked up a shirt with his previous number.

Renato Sanches — No85

Renato Sanches' loan spell at Swansea was doomed to fail from the start after the Premier League stopped him wearing his desired No85 shirt, forcing him to go with No35.

The Welsh club saw the lighter side of the affair but sent the Portuguese talent back to parent club Bayern Munich after an underwhelming 15-game spell.

Clint Dempsey — No2

Clint Dempsey is one of the USA's best Premier League exports but the forward's No2 choice at Tottenham still needs some explaining.

The number reportedly goes back to Dempsey's shirt worn during his college years in South Carolina.

Glen Johnson — No8

Stoke supporters may have hoped the club were reserving the No8 shirt for a new creative midfielder in 2015 but instead, veteran full-back Glen Johnson was the man who snapped it up. 

Bruno Guimaraes — No39

Plenty of Premier League stars have donned the No39 shirt but the reasoning for Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes is unique, with it being his father's old taxi number when working in Brazil.

The midfielder revealed: "I know people think it's a weird number but for me, 39 is special, it's magical. The number 39 gave me everything in life."

Rui Patricio — No11

Goalkeeper Rui Patricio's No11 jersey at Wolves is arguably the strangest of the lot but the rationale behind it makes it undoubtedly the most admirable.

The Portuguese stopper chose not to take the traditional No1 out of respect for departing custodian Carl Ikeme, who had been diagnosed with acute leukaemia.