Retired numbers in football are a lot more common than you might think. Usually, football clubs retire shirt numbers either for club legends or posthumously to honour the late footballer.
In the Premier League, only two clubs have retired numbers: Man City and West Ham United.
***
Man City retired the no. 23 shirt in honour of Marc-Vivien Foe. He was part of the Cameroon squad at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. When Cameroon faced Colombia in the semifinal, Foe collapsed in the centre circle in the 72nd minute.
Medics tried to save Foe and although he was still alive upon arrival at the stadium's medical room, he died shortly afterwards.
France beat Cameroon 1-0 in the final and at the awards ceremony, two Cameroon players held a big photo of Marc-Vivien Foe with a runners-up medal hanging over the edge. France captain Marcel Desailly held the winner's trophy with Cameroon captain Rigobert Song.
Marc-Vivien Foe was a Man City player at the time, on loan from Lyon. He scored nine goals in 35 games for City playing as a midfielder.
Right after his death, Man City retired the no.23 shirt as a mark of respect for their late footballer.
***
As for West Ham, they have two retired shirt numbers: no. 6 and no. 38.
The Hammers retired the no. 6 shirt in 2008 to honour the great Bobby Moore. Moore was England's captain at the triumphant 1966 World Cup and made over 500 appearances for West Ham.
Another shirt number unavailable at West Ham is no. 38. It belonged to young goalkeeper Dylan Tombides. The Australian striker died on 18 April 2014 aged just 20, shortly after his cancer became incurable.
Although he never made a single appearance for the senior team, Dylan's legacy at the club lives on.
A charitable foundation in his name was founded posthumously and when in 2016, West Ham organised a testimonial match for their captain Mark Noble, all the proceeds went to charities, one of which was the Dylan Tombides DT38.
The Hammers also regularly remember Dylan Tombides at their home games.
Latest news
