Viktor Gyokeres has received the number 14 shirt in Arsenal – and it is safe to say that he has large boots to fill.
Many players have made the No. 14 their own world, from Johan Cruyff to Xabi Alonso, and the number has a legendary history at Arsenal because squad figures were introduced in 1993.
And Arsenal -fans hope that Gyokeres can replicate half of what earlier established operators have produced while wearing the famous sweater.
Squad numbers were not really something to the Premier League era and the 1993-94 season saw the Center-back Keown the honor.
The second spell of the defender with the London side – Keown played in the late 1980s and early 1990s for Aston Villa and Everton – lasted more than a decade and concerned the success of the Premier League title in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
The majority of those competitions also came with the defender who wore 14 on his back, also in the FA Cup final of 1998 when the Arsene Wenger team supplied a competition and cup top.
Keown finally took over the number 5 sweater from Steve Boulder, perhaps a more suitable number for the starting center of Arsenal. And it was the No.5 shirt that Keown wore while in 2003 he acted as Ruud van Nistorrooy's Neckcarf.
“I came to the club at the age of 14,” said Nketiah de Telegraph after signing his new contract in June 2022.
“I wore 14 on loan at Leeds, and I even lived at number 14 at one point. When the chance to accept it came, it was difficult to say no.
“I know what it means for the club and the fans. It's a nice feeling, an iconic song.”
The striker scored 15 goals in two seasons in the sweater before being sold to Crystal Palace.
The 2007-08 season was a breakthrough campaign for Walcott in the first year that he was wearing the No.14 shirt. Chance? You decide.
The former Southampton Youngster scored his first Premier League goals for the Gunners and also played his role in Europe -that fast Gonzalez impression against Liverpool will live in memory for a long time.
He would almost wear the song for a full decade before he left Arsenal for Everton in January 2018.
“I now have Thierry's shirt number, but he doesn't get it back, even when he comes back a while,” said Walcott shortly before Henry's short return in 2012. “I already told that.”
Of course, Walcott never overshadowed his predecessor, but a number of important goals and 12 years of service were hardly a bad return of the winger.
Read: how the football gods together to refuse Walcott Hero's status at Arsenal
“I like two songs, nine and seven,” Aubameyang Arsenal TV said in 2020. ” [Alexandre Lacazette] has nine and miki [Henrikh Mkhitaryan] Had seven.
“I asked Miki before I came:” Do you want to take the No. 7? “And he said yes, so I said,” Okay, I'll try something else. ” “
The way of Aubameyang's Exit still stands for many, but he did the number 14 shirt for a large part of his time at the Emirates Stadium, scored 92 goals and won the 2020 FA Cup final on his own.
Undoubtedly, the greatest player in the history of Arsenal, Henry de Nr. 14 sweater has re -defined his own image – but it was not his original choice.
'I came back [on loan in 2012] With no. 12, that is actually my number, “Henry told former teammate Cesc Fabregas in 2020, as reported by Metro.” Fourteen is not my number. I took the number 14 in Arsenal because Christopher Woth had no. 12, so I didn't want to take him from him.
“That is the reason, I didn't want to take it from him. That's why when I came back, no. 12 because of Marco van Basten at Euro 88.”
The course of history might have been very different if Henry had taken the song of Wrew instead. Although, with the second thought probably not …