Retired Numbers In Association Football

Association football clubs around the world sometimes retire squad numbers to recognise players' service to the club, whether that be through their loyalty or quality.

Background

This practice, long established in the major North American sports, is a recent development in football elsewhere, since squad numbers for specific players were not widely used until the 1990s. Before then, it was typical for players in the starting lineup to be issued numbers 1 to 11 by formation/position on a match-by-match basis, and substitutes to be numbered from 12 upwards, meaning a player might wear different numbers during the season if they were to play in different positions for tactical reasons, or simply not be a regular in the starting lineup.

In contrast, in the former American league NASL, players wore permanent numbers since its inception in 1967. Moreover, Pelé's #10 was retired by the New York Cosmos during the farewell of the Brazilian star on 1 October 1977, probably becoming the first number ever retired in association football.

Mexico was a pioneer country in the use of permanent numbers in football; these were adopted in the Primera División in the 1980s.

Retiring a player's shirt number usually occurs after the player has left the team or retired. It honours a player who has meant much to his club, and no other player is permitted to use that number in the future. In some cases, such as those of Jason Mayélé, Vittorio Mero, Marc-Vivien Foé, Miklós Fehér, Ray Jones, Dylan Tombides, François Sterchele, David di Tommaso, Antonio Puerta, Besian Idrizaj, Piermario Morosini and Davide Astori, numbers have been retired to posthumously honour a player who died while still active. Also, Norwegian club Fredrikstad retired Dagfinn Enerly's number following an on-pitch accident that left him paralysed. In Britain, only Bobby Moore's, Jack Lester's and Jude Bellingham's shirt numbers have been retired due to great service to the club as opposed to a tragic incident. Although it had not been officially retired, Gianfranco Zola's No. 25 shirt had not been reissued by Chelsea since he left the club in 2003 until re-issued to Moisés Caicedo in 2023.

The Argentina, Ecuador and Cameroon national teams have been prevented from retiring the numbers of Diego Maradona (10), Christian Benítez (11) and Marc-Vivien Foé (17), respectively, by FIFA rules dealing with squad numbers for Finals tournaments; in other competitions, qualifiers or friendlies, national associations may assign numbers according to criteria of their choosing. Similarly, several clubs have been required to reissue retired numbers for continental club competitions due to squad numbering rules of continental confederations. For example, CAF and CONMEBOL have such rules in their club competitions, but CONCACAF does not.

Some South American teams (such as Universitario de Deportes and Flamengo, and even Mexican teams invited for the occasions) occasionally had to re-issue their retired numbers for special cases due to CONMEBOL rules, which stated that shirts had to be numbered 1–25/30 in continental club competitions (such as Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, among others), although nowadays clubs are not forced to number their players consecutively.

Retired numbers

;Notes

Special cases

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: "
! width=170px , Team
! width=40px , No.
! width=200px , Player
! width= px , Pos.
! width= px , Tenure
! Notes
, -
, , , , , Diego Maradona, , MF , , 1977–94 , ,
, -
, River Plate , , , , –, , –, , 1949–2013 , ,
, -
, Sydney FC , , , , Terry McFlynn , , MF , , 2005–14 , ,
, -
, Rapid Wien , , , , Peter Schöttel , , DF , , 1986–2001 , ,
, -
, Rapid Wien
,
, Steffen Hofmann
, MF
, 2002–18
,
, -
, Palmeiras
, align=center, 12
, Marcos
, GK
, 1993–2012
,
, -
, Santos
,
, Pelé
, FW
, 1956–1974
,
, -
, Santa Fe , , , , Léider Preciado , , FW , , , ,
, -
, Slavia Prague
,
, Stanislav Vlček
, FW
, 2004–07, 2009–13
,
, -
, , , , , Christian Benítez , , FW , , 2005–13 , ,
, -
, Bradford City , , , , Tomi Solomon , , , , 2019–21 , ,
, -
, Portsmouth
,
, Aaron Flahavan
, GK
, 1994–2001
,
, -
, Leeds United , , , , Massimo Cellino , , – , , 2014 , , {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, Leeds retired the number 17 shirt due to Italian chairman Massimo Cellino's superstitions, as 17 is considered an unlucky number in Italian culture. Number was re-issued in July 2019., group=n1, name=cellino
, -
, {{fbaicon, ENG Exeter City , , {{center, 9 , , {{flagicon, ENG Adam Stansfield , , FW , , 2006–10 , , {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, The club retired the number 9 for nine seasons after the striker died of cancer on 10 August 2010. The number returned to use in 2020, following the arrival of Stansfield’s son, Jay Stansfield, at Exeter City. As of 2023, Jay Stansfield continues to wear the number 9 shirt., group=n1, name=stansf
, -
, {{fbaicon, ENG Wolverhampton , , {{center, 1 , , {{flagicon, NGA Carl Ikeme , , GK , , 2003–18 , , {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, Carl Ikeme retired from professional football before the 2018–2019 season after complete remission from acute leukaemia and the club decided to leave the jersey –previously worn by Ikeme– vacant, with newly signed Rui Patrício unusually wearing the number 11 and the other team goalkeepers wearing numbers ending in "1". In 2021, the number was reissued following the signing of new goalkeeper José Sá, and after Ikeme stated publicly that he wished for someone to take the number., group=n1, name=ikeme
, -
, {{fbaicon, FIN FC Haka , , {{center, 14 , , {{flagicon, RUS Valeri Popovitch , , FW, , 1994–2008 , , {{small, Partially retired{{refn, First ever retired shirt number in the history of Finnish football is ex-Haka's Valeri Popovitch's number 14. Popovitch has stated that his sons, who are still playing for Haka's junior teams, can wear the legendary number if they want., group=n1, name=popov
, -
, {{fbaicon, FRA Lyon , , {{center, 16 , , {{flagicon, FRA Luc Borrelli , , GK , , 1998–99 , , {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, Posthumous – returned to use in 2011., group=n1, name=borrell
, -
, {{fbaicon, FRA Lyon , , {{center, 17 , , {{flagicon, CMR Marc-Vivien Foé, , MF , , 2000–03, , {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, Posthumous – returned to use in 2008., group=n1, name=foe
, -
, {{fbaicon, GER 1. FC Köln
, {{center, 10
, {{flagicon, GER Lukas Podolski
, MF
, 2002–06, 2009–12
, {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, The club had announced that the number would remain out of circulation as long as Podolski is playing football on a professional level. Nevertheless, the #10 was given to Patrick Helmes in July 2014., group=n1, name=podol
, -
, {{fbaicon, GER Schalke 04 , , {{center, 7 , , {{flagicon, ESP Raúl , , FW , , 2010–12 , , {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, At the time Raúl left the club, the team intended to retire the jersey indefinitely. However, the retirement of this shirt only lasted one year; with Max Meyer wearing it from 2013 to 2018., group=n1, name=raulsch
, -
, {{fbaicon, HON Motagua
, align=center, 16
, {{flagicon, HON Edy Vásquez
, MF
, 2003–07
, {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, Posthumous, retired from 2007 to 2009., group=n1, name=edyvas
, -
, {{fbaicon, HUN Diósgyőri VTK
, align=center, 77
, {{flagicon, ESP José Juan Luque
, MF
, 1996–2013
, {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, Retired on 2 June 2013 in respect of Luque being the most notable player in the DVTK history. His number was retired for ten years., group=n1, name=luque
, -
, {{fbaicon, IRN Persepolis
, {{center, 7
, {{flagicon, IRN Ali Parvin , , MF , , 1970–87 , , {{small, Partially retired.{{refn, The shirt was retired after Parvin's retirement, but Parvin gave the shirt to player Hamid Estili and the shirt has since not been retired permanently., group=n1, name=parv
, -
, {{fbaicon, ISR Maccabi Tel Aviv
, {{center, 12
, {{flagicon, ISR Meni Levi
, DF
, 2000–02
, {{small, Unofficially retired.{{refn, During a game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem, Levi chest-controlled and kicked the ball, ran back to defend, then collapsed. He returned to his feet, and then collapsed a second time. He was subsequently on a life-support machine, and has since returned home. The club claims that the number 12 is unofficially reserved for the fans., group=n1, name=menilev
, -
, {{fbaicon, ITA Livorno
, {{center, 10
, {{flagicon, ITA Igor Protti
, FW
, 1985–88, 1999–2005
, {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, In December 2005, Livorno officially retired the #10 jersey. However, Protti, who led the forward line and captained his side in two promotions from Serie C1 to Serie A, quickly gaining a reputation as a fan favourite, announced his willingness to see the #10 number reissued to another player, in order to "give anybody back a dream to dress it one day." This was made effective starting from the 2007–08 season, in which Francesco Tavano played with the #10 number., group=n1, name=prott
, -
, {{fbaicon, ITA Milan
, {{center, 3
, {{flagicon, ITA Paolo Maldini
, DF
, 1984–2009
, {{small, Partially retired.{{refn, Maldini's number was not fully retired so he gave consent for his sons to adopt the number 3 shirt if either of them play professionally for the club., group=n1, name=maldini
, -
, {{fbaicon, ITA Roma , , {{center, 6 , , {{flagicon, BRA Aldair , , DF, , 1990–2003 , , {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, The shirt number had been retired by the club when the player left the club in 2003. When Kevin Strootman joined Roma in 2013, he asked for permission to wear number 6. The club approved the request after Aldair gave his consent. The number remained in use and has given to other players since., group=n1, name=aldair
, -
, {{fbaicon, JPN Sagan Tosu
, {{center, 17
, {{flagicon, JPN Sakata Michitaka
, –
, 2001–
, {{small, Key figure.{{refn, The shirt was retired posthumously, to honour Michikata who played a key role in establishment of former Tosu Futures and their revival as Sagan Tosu, and who died due to kidney cancer on 7 January 2000. Number 17, derived from the day of his death, was selected to be retired. The number would later also be dedicated to the club's fans, thus they have not retired squad number 12 like most Japanese League teams., group=n1, name=michit
, -
, {{fbaicon, KVX Llapi
, align=center, 9
, {{flagicon, YUG Fadil Vokrri
, FW
, 1976–79
, {{small, Retired and re-issued
, -
, {{fbaicon, LBN Akhaa Ahli Aley
, {{center, 20
, {{flagicon, LBN Mohamed Atwi
, MF
, 2018–20
, {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, Akhaa Ahli Aley have retired the squad number 20, in honour of Atwi's death in 2020 due to a stray bullet in the head. The club has retired the number for two seasons—from 2020 to 2022—the duration in which Atwi stayed at the club., group=n1, name=atwi
, -
, {{fbaicon, MEX Guadalajara
, {{center, 11
, {{flagicon, MEX Ramón Morales
, MF
, 1998–2011{{refn, Career as player. Since 2013, Morales became part of the coaching staff., group=n1, name=staff
, {{small, Unofficially retired.{{refn, The shirt was never officially retired, but it was not issued out of American competitions for the time between Morales' exit and his return as a coach. All players intending to wear the jersey have to ask for Morales' consent. It is now being worn by Isaác Brizuela., group=n1, name=morales
, -
, {{fbaicon, MEX Pachuca
, {{center, 8
, {{flagicon, MEX Gabriel Caballero
, MF/ FW
, 1998–2009
, {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, Caballero's number was just temporarily retired for five years. After that period, it was reactivated and given to Hirving Lozano in 2014., group=n1, name=caball
, -
, {{fbaicon, MEX UNAM , , {{center, 12 , , {{flagicon, MEX Sergio Bernal , , GK , , 1989–2001, 2003–10, , {{small, Retired and re-issued.
, -
, {{fbaicon, NED Ajax , , {{center, 34, , {{flagicon, NED Abdelhak Nouri , , MF , , 2016–17 , , {{small, Unofficially retired.{{refn, Nouri collapsed on the pitch after suffering severe cardiac arrhythmia, which forced him to leave football. Number 34 has not been issued since then., group=n1, name=nouri
, -
, {{fbaicon, NOR Stabæk , , {{center, 7 , , {{flagicon, NOR Christer Basma , , DF , , 1995–98 , , {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, The club had retired the number to honor Basma's career at Stabæk. However, the retirement was revoked after 2004 season and the number given to Henning Hauger., group=n1, name=basma
, -
, {{flagicon, POR Benfica , , {{center, 10 , , {{flagicon, Portugal Fernando Chalana , , MF , , 1976–84, 1987–90 , , {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, After the death of Chalana, the club announced the number 10 jersey would become vacated for the 2022–23 season., group=n1, name=chalan
, -
, {{fbaicon, POR União Leiria
, align=center, 10
, {{flagicon, POR Hugo Cunha
, MF
, 2004–05
, {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, Posthumous; has been worn again since 2009., group=n1, name=cuhn
, -
, {{fbaicon, SCO Dunfermline Athletic
, {{center, 4
, {{flagicon, SCO Norrie McCathie
, DF
, 1981–96
, {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, The club retired the number after club captain McCathie was found dead in his home on 8 January 1996, as a result of Carbon monoxide poisoning. At that time, Scottish League clubs used shirt numbered from 1 to 11, so for the remainder of the 1995–96 season, 12 was used instead. However, the number was not retired permanently, and has been re-issued since., group=n1, name=mccathie
, -
, {{fbaicon, SCO Motherwell
, {{center, 10
, {{flagicon, SCO Phil O'Donnell
, MF
, 1990–94, 2004–07
, {{small, Unofficially retired.{{refn, O'Donnell collapsed while playing for Motherwell against Dundee United in 2007. He was pronounced dead at Wishaw General Hospital. The number 10 shirt was worn by his nephew David Clarkson during the 2008–09 season. Since Clarkson left in June 2009, it has not been retired, but has not been issued to any subsequent player., group=n1, name=odonn
, -
, {{fbaicon, RSA Orlando Pirates
, {{center, 22
, {{flagicon, RSA Lesley Manyathela
, FW
, 2000−03
, {{small, Occasionally re-issued.{{refn, The club retired the number 22 after Manyathela died in a car crash in August 2003. However, Confederation of African Football rules state that shirts must be numbered 1–30 in continental club competitions, so Pirates has re-issued it in those special cases., group=n1, name=manyath
, -
, {{fbaicon, SPA Barcelona , , {{center, 21 , , {{flagicon, ESP Luis Enrique , , MF , , 1996–2004 , , {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, Luis Enrique joined the club as a free agent from eternal rivals Real Madrid, spending eight years at Barcelona, even becoming captain of the team. The shirt was retired for just two years (2004–06), since La Liga did not allow numbers to be retired permanently. The number 21 shirt was awarded to Lilian Thuram in 2006. Since his arrival at the club in 2020, Frenkie de Jong currently holds the number 21 shirt, taking it from Carles Aleñá., group=n1, name=lenriq
, -
, {{fbaicon, SPA Real Oviedo, Oviedo , , {{center, 10 , , {{flagicon, SVK Peter Dubovský (footballer), Peter Dubovský , , MF, , 1995–2000 , , {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, The Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, Spanish Football League allowed Oviedo to retire number 10 just for the 2000–01 La Liga, 2000–01 season, as an exception to its rules. At the end of the season, number 10 was re-issued., group=n1, name=dubovs
, -
, {{fbaicon, SPA Sevilla FC, Sevilla , , {{center, 16 , , {{flagicon, SPA Antonio Puerta , , Left back, DF , , 2004–07, , {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, The number was temporarily retired after Puerta died of a cardiac arrest on the first match day in La Liga 2007–2008. However, Spanish Football Federation rules state that clubs must use number 1 to 25 for their regular squad, and as a result, David Prieto wore the number in 2008 in honour of his friend. It has become a club policy to reserve number 16 for players coming from the Cantera, youth academy as a tribute to Puerta, who was a youth system product. Exceptions have been made when 16 was the only jersey number available., group=n1, name=apuerta
, -
, {{fbaicon, SWE Östers IF
, {{center, 6
, {{flagicon, SWE Mario Vasilj
, Central Defender, DF
, 2006–18
, {{small, Temporarily retired.{{refn, Retired for six years., group=n1, name=vsil
, -
, {{fbaicon, SWE Hammarby Fotboll, Hammarby IF
, align=center, 10
, {{flagicon, SWE Kennedy Bakircioglu
, MF
, 1999–2003, 2012–18
, {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, Retired for ten years between 2019 and 2028., group=n1, name=bakirc
, -
, {{fbaicon, TUR Galatasaray S.K. (football), Galatasaray , , {{center, 3 , , {{flagicon, TUR Bülent Korkmaz , , Central defender, DF , , 1984–2005 , , {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, Despite the club announcing the retirement of the number, it has been re-issued., group=n1, name=korkma
, -
, {{fbaicon, USA LA Galaxy , , {{center, 13 , , {{flagicon, USA Cobi Jones , , MF , , 1996–2007 , , {{small, Unofficially retired.{{refn, The number was not officially retired by the Galaxy but had not been worn since Jones retired. In 2017, it was given to Jermaine Jones., group=n1, name=cobi
, -
, {{fbaicon, USA North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer, North Carolina women's
, {{center, 19
, {{flagicon, USA Mia Hamm
, FW
, 1989–93
, {{small, Retired and re-issued.
, -
, {{fbaicon, USA Real Salt Lake
, {{center, 9
, {{flagicon, USA Jason Kreis
, MF/ FW
, 2005–07
, {{small, Retired and re-issued.{{refn, group=n1, name=saltlake
, -
, {{fbaicon, USA Real Salt Lake
, {{center, 11
, {{flagicon, ARG Javier Morales
, MF
, 2007–16
, {{small, Retired and re-issued.{{refn, Jason Kreis's number 9 was not worn by RSL players after the time of its retirement in 2011. However, in 2019, when the club decided to retire Javier Morales's number 11, Kreis pleaded with the club to recirculate his number 9. As a result, both number 9 and number 11 are still circulated numbers for the club. Kreis and Morales's names and numbers are "retired" and displayed prominently above the player's tunnel on the west concourse of America First Field., group=n1, name=saltlake
, -
, {{fbaicon, USA Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–93), Tampa Bay Rowdies , , {{center, 7 , , {{flagicon, RSA Steve Wegerle , , FW , , 1977–81, 1984, 1988–90 , , {{small, Temporarily retired{{refn, Although his number had been retired by Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–93), the original franchise in 1989, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, current team has reissued it., group=n1, name=weger

;Notes
{{reflist, group=n1

Dedication to fans

{{More citations needed section , date=July 2015

Number 12

Some clubs dedicate a number to their fans, and do not issue it to any player. The most common number for this practice is 12, from descriptions of the fans as "12th man (football), the twelfth man". Clubs and teams that do not give the '12' to any player include:

{{div col, colwidth=20em
*{{fbaicon, ALB KF Tirana, Tirana
*{{fbaicon, AUS Melbourne Victory FC, Melbourne Victory
*{{fbaicon, AUS Perth Glory FC, Perth Glory
*{{fbaicon, AUT SK Rapid Wien, Rapid Vienna
*{{fbaicon, BEL Club Brugge KV, Club Brugge
*{{fbaicon, BEL K.R.C. Genk, Genk
*{{fbaicon, BIH FK Sarajevo, Sarajevo
*{{fbaicon, BRA Clube Atlético Mineiro, Atlético Mineiro{{refn, Despite having their number "12" retired, Brazilian clubs have had to re-issue them for CONMEBOL competitions such as Copa Libertadores, where the squads must be numbered from 1 to 25 consecutively, although that rule changed and teams can use arbitrary numbers from 1 to 50.{{cite web , url=https://www.conmebol.com/es/conmebol-libertadores-2021/reglamento , title=Reglamento Copa Libertadores 2021 , date=15 February 2021 , website=CONMEBOL , language=es, group=n2, name=braz
*{{fbaicon, BRA Avaí FC, Avaí{{refn, group=n2, name=braz
*{{fbaicon, BRA Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, Flamengo{{refn, group=n2, name=braz
*{{flagicon, BUL PFC Botev Plovdiv, Botev Plovdiv
*{{fbaicon, CAN CF Montréal
*{{fbaicon, CHN Beijing Guoan F.C., Beijing Guoan
*{{fbaicon, CHN Changchun Yatai F.C., Changchun Yatai
*{{fbaicon, CHN Chongqing Tonglianglong F.C., Chongqing Tonglianglong
*{{fbaicon, CHN Heilongjiang Ice City F.C., Heilongjiang Ice City
*{{fbaicon, CHN Shaanxi Union F.C., Shaanxi Union
*{{fbaicon, CHN Shandong Taishan F.C., Shandong Taishan
*{{fbaicon, CHN Shanghai Shenhua F.C., Shanghai Shenhua
*{{fbaicon, CRO HNK Hajduk Split, Hajduk Split
*{{fbaicon, CYP AC Omonia, Omonia
*{{fbaicon, CZE AC Sparta Prague, Sparta Prague
*{{fbaicon, DEN Aarhus Gymnastikforening, AGF
*{{fbaicon, DEN Odense Boldklub, OB
*{{fbaicon, ENG Bristol Rovers F.C., Bristol Rovers
*{{fbaicon, ENG Gillingham F.C., Gillingham
*{{fbaicon, ENG Oxford United F.C., Oxford United
*{{fbaicon, ENG Oldham Athletic A.F.C., Oldham Athletic
*{{fbaicon, ENG Plymouth Argyle F.C., Plymouth Argyle{{cite news , url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/the-gentleman-ultra/2018/nov/15/football-club-retire-players-shirt-number-maradona-baggio-maldini-moore , title=When should a football club retire a player's shirt number? , first=Ricci , last=Potts , date=15 November 2018 , newspaper=The Guardian
*{{fbaicon, ENG Portsmouth
*{{fbaicon, EST FC Flora, Flora
*{{fbaicon, FRA RC Lens, Lens
*{{fbaicon, FIN Mikkelin Palloilijat
*{{fbaicon, GER Arminia Bielefeld
*{{fbaicon, GER FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich{{cite web , url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/news/Bundesliga/number-12-shirt-rarely-used-reserved-for-fans-12-th-man-517494.jsp , title=The Bundesliga's 12th man: why you hardly ever see Bundesliga players wearing the No.12 shirt , date=2018 , website=Bundesliga
*{{fbaicon, GER Borussia Mönchengladbach
*{{fbaicon, GER Rot-Weiss Essen
*{{fbaicon, GER TuS Koblenz
*{{fbaicon, GER SV Werder Bremen, Werder Bremen
*{{fbaicon, GRE PAOK FC, PAOK
*{{fbaicon, HUN Ferencvárosi TC, Ferencváros
*{{fbaicon, HUN Újpest FC, Újpest
*{{fbaicon, IND Kerala Blasters FC, Kerala Blasters
*{{fbaicon, INA Persija Jakarta
*{{fbaicon, INA Persis Solo
*{{fbaicon, IRN Foolad F.C., Foolad
*{{fbaicon, IRN Persepolis
*{{fbaicon, IRL Cork City F.C., Cork City
*{{fbaicon, IRL Shamrock Rovers F.C., Shamrock Rovers
*{{fbaicon, ITA Atalanta B.C., Atalanta
*{{fbaicon, ITA A.C. Cesena, Cesena
*{{fbaicon, ITA Genoa C.F.C., Genoa
*{{fbaicon, ITA S.S. Lazio, Lazio
*{{fbaicon, ITA Palermo F.C., Palermo
*{{fbaicon, ITA Parma Calcio 1913, Parma
*{{fbaicon, ITA Torino F.C., Torino
*{{fbaicon, KOR FC Seoul
*{{fbaicon, KOR Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC
*{{fbaicon, KOR Incheon United FC, Incheon United
*{{fbaicon, KOR Jeju United FC
*{{fbaicon, KOR Seoul United FC, Seoul United
*{{fbaicon, LTU FK Ekranas
*{{fbaicon, MAS Terengganu F.C. I, Terengganu
*{{fbaicon, MLT Valletta F.C., Valletta
*{{fbaicon, MEX C.F. Monterrey, Monterrey
*{{fbaicon, MEX Tigres UANL, UANL
*{{fbaicon, MEX Guadalajara
*{{fbaicon, MYA Yangon United F.C., Yangon United
*{{fbaicon, MYA Yadanarbon F.C., Yadanarbon
*{{fbaicon, MYA Thanlyin Technological University FC, Thanlyin Technological University
*{{fbaicon, NED PSV Eindhoven
*{{fbaicon, NED Feyenoord
*{{fbaicon, NED SBV Vitesse, Vitesse
*{{fbaicon, NED PEC Zwolle
*{{fbaicon, NED Roda JC Kerkrade
*{{fbaicon, NOR IK Start
*{{fbaicon, NOR Vålerenga Fotball, Vålerenga
*{{fbaicon, POL Pogoń Szczecin
*{{fbaicon, POL Lech Poznań
*{{fbaicon, POL Polonia Warsaw
*{{fbaicon, POR Vitória S.C., Vitória de Guimarães
*{{fbaicon, ROU FC Dinamo București, Dinamo București
*{{fbaicon, ROU FC Rapid București, Rapid București
*{{fbaicon, ENG Oxford United F.C., Oxford United
*{{fbaicon, RUS FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, Zenit Saint Petersburg
*{{fbaicon, RUS PFC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow
*{{fbaicon, SCO Aberdeen F.C., Aberdeen
*{{fbaicon, SCO Hibernian F.C., Hibernian
*{{fbaicon, SCO Rangers F.C., Rangers
*{{fbaicon, SRB Red Star Belgrade
*{{fbaicon, SWE Hammarby Fotboll, Hammarby IF
*{{fbaicon, SWE Malmö FF
*{{fbaicon, SWE GIF Sundsvall
*{{fbaicon, SUI FC Basel, Basel
*{{fbaicon, TUN Club Africain
*{{fbaicon, THA Bangkok United F.C., Bangkok United
*{{fbaicon, THA Chonburi F.C., Chonburi
*{{fbaicon, THA BEC Tero Sasana F.C., BEC Tero Sasana
*{{fbaicon, THA Muangthong United F.C., Muangthong United
*{{fbaicon, THA Port F.C., Port
*{{fbaicon, THA Buriram United F.C., Buriram United
*{{fbaicon, TUR Fenerbahçe S.K. (football), Fenerbahçe
*{{fbaicon, TUR Sivasspor
*{{fbaicon, UKR FC Dynamo Kyiv, Dynamo Kyiv
*{{fbaicon, VNM Hanoi FC, Hà Nội FC
{{div col end
;Notes
{{reflist, group=n2

Other numbers retired

* 1 – AIK Fotboll, AIK, Djurgårdens IF Fotboll, Djurgården IF, and PSIM Yogyakarta{{cite web , url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0WcUF8hVNV/?igshid=NTYzOWQzNmJjMA%3D%3D, title=Nomor punggung 1 dan 12 merupakan nomor punggung jersei yang didedikasikan bagi kedua wadah suporter Laskar Mataram. Nomor 1 ditujukan untuk Brajamusti dan 12 bagi The Maident. Kebersamaan adalah nafas kita, #SalingSupport #1STIMEWA #LaskarMataram #AYDK , language=id , website=instagram.com , access-date=2 December 2023 reserve the number for their supporters.
* 7 – Paysandu Sport Club, Paysandu reserve the number for their supporters.
* 11 – Indy Eleven reserve the number for their supporters.
* 13 – Reading F.C., Reading and Bryne FK, Bryne reserve the number for their supporters, Panathinaikos F.C., Panathinaikos reserve the number in honour of Gate 13, the ultras based in the respective gate in home matches. Between 2002 and 2007 Norwich City F.C., Norwich City reserved the number 13 shirt for "the fans" after which it was worn by Declan Rudd while Shrewsbury Town F.C., Shrewsbury Town reserve the number 13 shirt for the fan who wins a pre-season competition.
* 16 – Bursaspor reserve the number for their supporters.
* 17 – Atlanta United FC reserve the number for their supporters and to reference their 2017 Atlanta United FC season, inaugural season in Major League Soccer. For the 2021 Major League Soccer season, 2021 MLS season, the club also reserved the number 44 as part of a tribute by Atlanta-area sports teams in memoriam of Hank Aaron, Henry Aaron of Atlanta Braves, the local MLB club, who died on 22 January 2021.
* 17 – Sagan Tosu retired the number in dedication to their fans.
* 27 – AFC Bournemouth, Bournemouth use squad number for the Steve Fletcher Stand which houses the large majority of hardcore supporters, the number 50 for "12th man" and the number 99 shirt for their mascot, Cherry Bear.
* 33 – Clube do Remo, Remo reserve the number for their supporters.
* 40 – Oldham Athletic A.F.C., Oldham Athletic reserve the number for their fans.
* 55 – Rochdale A.F.C., Rochdale retired the number on 13 January 2017 in honour of five-year old Joshua McCormack who died of cancer.
* 58 – Portsmouth F.C, Portsmouth retired the number for their mascot Nelson, with Nelson’s name and number appearing on club issued match day programmes
* 79 – APOEL FC, APOEL have reserved the shirt number in honour of APOEL FC#Supporters, PAN.SY.FI. (APOEL Ultras), to denote the year the group was founded, 1979.
* 88 – PS Barito Putera, Barito Putera have reserved the shirt number to honor the identity of the team which was formed in 1988.{{cite web , last1=Bayu , first1=Chandra , title=Hasnuryadi Sulaiman Jelaskan Makna Nomor 88 bagi Barito Putera , url=https://www.bolasport.com/read/311374621/hasnuryadi-sulaiman-jelaskan-makna-nomor-88-bagi-barito-putera?page=all , publisher=BolaSport , date=31 December 2018 , access-date=7 May 2025 , language=id

References

{{Reflist
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{{Retired numbers in sports
{{Association football

{{DEFAULTSORT:Retired Numbers in Association Football
Association football terminology
Association football culture
Association football records and statistics
Lists of retired numbers, association football