11 English Football Clubs That Have Retired Shirt Numbers

Eyebrows were raised when, back in 2020, Birmingham City retired the number 22 shirt following Jude Bellingham’s transfer to Borussia Dortmund. No one was denying that Bellingham, who now plays for Real Madrid, was one of the most talented players in the world, but many thought Birmingham had jumped the gun in retiring the shirt number of a 17-year-old who’d only played 41 professional games for the club.

Birmingham aren’t the only English side to retire a shirt number for one of their players, though, and after Diogo Jota’s recent sad passing, calls are growing louder from Liverpool supporters to do the same, with the 28-year-old having joined in 2020, claimed the number 20 shirt, and whose last act for the Reds helped them win their 20th league title.

In the meantime, while the Reds specify what they meant when they said “The No.20 will be rightly immortalised for his contributions as part of Liverpool’s 2024-25 title-winners – the club’s 20th – with his trademark shimmy and strike in front of the Kop to seal victory in April’s Merseyside derby a poignant last goal of his life” in their statement, we’ve explored all the previous examples of English clubs discontinuing specific squad numbers – and the reasons why.

Related

Liverpool to immortalise No.20 shirt in honour of Diogo Jota

Liverpool have announced that the number 20 shirt will be immortalised as a sign of respect to their late forward Diogo Jota. Jota passed away at the age of 28 following a car crash in Spain that also claimed the life of his younger brother, Andre Silva. In an emotional tribute, Liverpool announced that Jota’s number 20 shirt will be immortalised for the role he played in the club’s 20th Premier League title campaign. The club said: “What cruelly has proved to be his final flourish in football saw Jota become a Premier League champion and a UEFA Nations League winner. “The No.20 will be rightly immortalised for his contributions as part of Liverpool’s 2024-25 title-winners – the club’s 20th – with his trademark shimmy and strike in front of the Kop to seal victory in April’s Merseyside derby a poignant last goal of his life.” 

1

Jude Bellingham (Birmingham City)

Shirt number: 22

Let’s start with the aforementioned Jude Bellingham, who is now recognised as one of the best midfielders in the world. Years before starring for Real Madrid in La Liga, Bellingham was a highly-rated youngster playing in the championship for Birmingham City, his boyhood club.

Jude’s time at Birmingham was a short-lived romance. His undeniable talent, coupled with a maturity that was far beyond his years, saw him making waves in the nation’s second tier. The teenager earned admiration not just from the Blues’ faithful, but from football pundits globally, and was catching the attention of scouts across the world, with Liverpool, Manchester United and pretty much every other top team trying to sign him.

It was Dortmund who secured his signature, bringing the midfielder to Germany in 2020, and Birmingham opted to retire Bellingham’s number 22 shirt as a result, despite his young age. Jude hadn’t even played 50 league games for Birmingham at that stage, but was widely recognised as one of the best and most talented players the side had ever had, explaining why they opted to retire his shirt number, despite the critics. It’s a decision that will no doubt be vindicated even more if England manage to win their first major honour in over 60 years with the Stourbridge-born lad playing front and centre.

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2

Billy Kee (Accrington Stanley)

Shirt number: 29

Billy Kee’s journey with Accrington Stanley was nothing short of inspirational. He joined the club on a one-year deal in 2015 after being released by Scunthorpe United, having previously been on loan during the 2009/10 season, scoring 77 league goals in 211 domestic games across his two spells at the club.

In 2019, four years after joining the club, Kee missed Accrington’s pre-season training camp due to personal reasons, and a few months later, it was revealed that the Northern Irishman was seeking treatment for depression, anxiety and bulimia. In January 2020, the decision was made by both Stanley and Kee for his contract to be terminated, and he announced his retirement from football the following month, on January 29.

Following the decision, and because of his incredible goalscoring record whilst at the club, Accrington made the decision to retire Kee’s number 29 shirt, and no one has taken on the football league icon’s number since.

3

Jack Lester (Chesterfield)

Shirt number: 14

Chesterfield and Jack Lester’s relationship can best be described as iconic. With a knack for finding the net and an unyielding commitment to the club, Lester etched his name in the annals of Chesterfield’s history.

His goals, having scored 83 in just under 200 league games, his leadership, and his incredible bond with fans turned the number 14 shirt into an iconic one for the club, and in recognition of his service, Chesterfield announced that they were going to retire his number when he left the club, after six years, in 2013, and he even came back to manage them for a lone season in the 2017/18 campaign just to add another notch to his belt of successes at the Recreation Ground.

4

Michael Maidens (Hartlepool United)

Shirt number: 25

Maidens broke into Hartlepool’s first team in 2004, at the age of 17, and was seen as a bright midfield prospect. However, tragedy struck in 2007 when, at the age of just 20, Maidens passed away in a road traffic accident. He was a passenger in a vehicle which lost control and hit a metal post near a roundabout on the A174 in October of that year.

Hartlepool’s youth game, and their match with Swansea City, were postponed as a mark of respect, following Michael’s death, and both sides paid tribute to the midfielder on October 21, two days after his passing. Maidens’ shirt number, 25, was then retired by Hartlepool, and the side renamed their Goal of the Season Award to ‘The Michael Maidens Goal of the Season Award’ as a tribute to the player, who was given the honour the year prior.

5

Richard Butcher (Macclesfield Town)

Shirt number: 21

Butcher’s time at Macclesfield was brief, as he only played 15 league games and scored three goals, but he definitely left his mark on the side. The midfielder joined the club on loan in February 2010, and scored on his debut in a 2-1 defeat to Bury, before making his move permanent a few months after his deal with Lincoln City expired.

Butcher’s final game came in January 2011, when Macclesfield lost to Rotherham. Just six days after the loss, Butcher was found dead at his home in Salford after failing to turn up for training on Monday morning. Butcher’s wife had been away, and the midfielder passed away in his sleep overnight. His death was made even more tragic as it came less than a year after the passing of Macclesfield boss Keith Alexander, who was also Butcher’s manager at Lincoln City and Peterborough United.

Macclesfield paid various tributes to Butcher in the weeks that followed, and even made the decision to retire the number 21 shirt in his memory.

6

Marc-Vivien Foe (Manchester City)

Shirt number: 23

Years before Rodri and Fernandinho were the anchor in the midfield of Manchester City, that job was given to Marc-Vivien Foe, who played for the club on loan during the 2002/03 season. Foe scored nine goals in 35 games for the club, a very impressive tally for a defensive-minded midfielder, and was due to return to his parent club Lyon ahead of the 2003/04 season.

He was selected to play for Cameroon in the 2003 Confederations Cup, but on June 26, during the semi-final against Colombia, Foe collapsed in the centre circle during the 72nd minute and had to be stretched off the field after medics attempted to resuscitate him.

Doctors worked on Foe for 45 minutes, attempting to restart his heart, and he passed away shortly after reaching the stadium’s medical centre. An autopsy later revealed that Foe’s tragic death was because of a heart-related issue. Man City’s manager at the time, Kevin Keegan, announced that the club would no longer use the number 23 shirt, which he wore during his season in England. Maine Road, the club’s old ground, also features a small memorial to him in its garden, and on the walls of the players’ tunnel.

7

Ray Jones (Queens Park Rangers)

Shirt number: 31

QPR fans were really excited about Ray Jones when the young Englishman began to break through into the first team at Loftus Road. His pace, agility, and goal-scoring ability hinted at a bright future, but things unfortunately didn’t pan out that way.

Jones tragically died in a car crash during the early hours of the morning on August 25 2007, when he was just 18. The vehicle he was driving collided with a bus and all three people inside the car were killed. QPR postponed their game against Burnley, and also decided to retire the number 31 shirt in memory of Jones, who used the squad number during his time at the club.

8

Dale Roberts (Rushden & Diamonds)

Shirt number: 1

Dale Roberts was more than just a goalkeeper for Rushden & Diamonds. His saves, leadership, and undeniable presence made him a cornerstone of the team. At the age of just 24, Dale passed away, with the announcement being made just hours before his side were set to play against Eastwood Town, his former club, in the FA Trophy.

The cause of death, which took place in December 2010, was reported to be suicide by hanging, with a coroner stating that the goalkeeper took his own life after struggling to come to terms with an injury, and media speculation about his private life. Rushden retired the number one shirt following the tragic incident, meaning that despite passing away 15 years ago, Roberts will never be forgotten by the fans and players of his former side.

9

Bobby Moore (West Ham United)

Shirt number: 6

Bobby Moore is one of the most famous players on this list and remains the only captain to lift the World Cup with England following the country’s triumph in 1966. Moore led by example, both for England and West Ham, and was the bedrock of the defences of both his club and country, so much so that in 2008, 15 years after his death, the Hammers made the decision to retire the number six shirt.

There truly will never be another Bobby Moore, with him also forever immortalised in the upper echelons of lists depicting the greatest British footballers of all time.

10

Dylan Tombides (West Ham United)

Shirt number: 38

West Ham, with Bobby Moore and Dylan Tombides, are the only English club to have two squad numbers retired at the time of writing. While coming through the ranks at West Ham in mid-2011, Tombides was diagnosed with testicular cancer, and the Australian passed away in April 2014 after the cancer metastasised to his liver.

The day after his passing, before a Premier League game with Crystal Palace at Upton Park, Dylan’s father and brother laid Tombides’ shirt on the centre spot, with West Ham announcing afterwards that the number had been retired in his memory.