This summer’s departures have left a few symbolic shirt numbers vacant in the Barcelona dressing room.
Ivan Rakitic leaves the No.4, Arthur Melo the No.8 and Luis Suarez the No.9, while the No.6, No.7 and No.14 shirts are also up for grabs.
We’re talking about the No.4 of Ronald Koeman, Pep Guardiola and Rafael Marquez, the No.6 of Xavi, the No.7 of Luis Figo, David Villa and Pedro, the No.8 of Andres Iniesta and Hristo Stoichkov, the No.9 of Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldo Nazario and the No.14 of Johan Cruyff, Thierry Henry and Javier Mascherano.
Cruyff was never actually allowed to wear the No.14 at Barcelona because only numbers 1 to 11 were allowed during his time there, but his name is always associated with No.14.
As for those coming in to the Camp Nou this summer, Miralem Pjanic, Pedri and Francisco Trincao all need numbers.
Pjanic can’t have the No.5 he had at Juventus or the No.10 he wears for Bosnia, but he has the pick of the No.4, No.6 and No.8 – Jean-Clair Todibo holds No.6 but his future is up in the air.
As for Pedri, he wore No.28 at Las Palmas and could choose the No.8 of his idol Iniesta – his Instagram username is pedrii_8. Continue reading