Birmingham City caused eyebrows in 2020 when they withdrew the number 22 shirt following Jude Bellingham’s move to Borussia Dortmund. No one denied that Bellingham, who now plays for Real Madrid, was one of the world’s most brilliant players, but many believed Birmingham had acted prematurely in retiring the jersey number of a 17-year-old who had only played 41 professional games for the club.
Birmingham aren’t the only English club to retire a shirt number for one of their players, and with Diogo Jota’s recent tragic death, Liverpool fans are calling for the same, with the 28-year-old joining in 2020, claiming the number 20 shirt, and helping the Reds win their 20th league title.
Meanwhile, while the Reds clarify 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 looked at all the previous examples of English clubs discontinuing specific squad numbers – and the reasons why.
1Jude Bellingham (Birmingham City)
Shirt number: 22
Let us begin with the aforementioned Jude Bellingham, who is now regarded as one of the top midfielders in the world. Years before starring for Real Madrid in La Liga, Bellingham was a highly regarded youth who played in the championship for his hometown club Birmingham City.
Jude’s romance in Birmingham lasted just briefly. His undeniable talent, along with a maturity much above his years, propelled him to prominence in the nation’s second division. The adolescent won admiration not just from Blues fans, but also from football commentators all over the world, and scouts from Liverpool, Manchester United, and pretty much every other big team were interested in signing him.
Dortmund signed him, taking him to Germany in 2020, and Birmingham decided to retire Bellingham’s number 22, despite his young age. Jude hadn’t even played 50 league games for Birmingham at the time, but he was widely regarded as one of the best and most gifted players the club had ever had, which explains why they chose to retire his shirt number, despite the criticism. It’s a choice that will undoubtedly be vindicated if England wins its first major title in almost 60 years, with the Stourbridge-born lad playing front and centre.
2Billy Kee (Accrington Stanley)
Shirt number: 29
Billy Kee’s time at Accrington Stanley was nothing short of amazing. He signed a one-year contract with the club in 2015 after being released by Scunthorpe United, where he had previously played on loan during the 2009/10 season, netting 77 league goals in 211 domestic games over two periods.
Kee missed Accrington’s pre-season training camp in 2019 for personal reasons, and it was later reported that the Northern Irishman was seeking treatment for depression, anxiety, and bulimia. Stanley and Kee agreed in January 2020 to cancel his contract, and he announced his retirement from football the following month, on January 29.
Following the decision, and in recognition of Kee’s phenomenal goalscoring record while at the club, Accrington decided to retire his number 29 shirt, and no one has worn the football league icon’s number since.
3Jack Lester (Chesterfield)
Shirt number: 14
Chesterfield and Jack Lester’s connection is iconic. Lester made his mark on Chesterfield’s history with a flair for finding the net and an unwavering dedication to the club.
His goals, 83 in just under 200 league games, his leadership, and his incredible bond with fans made the number 14 shirt an iconic one for the club, and in recognition of his service, Chesterfield announced that they would retire his number when he left the club after six years, in 2013, and he even returned to manage them for a single season in the 2017/18 campaign to add another notch to his belt of successes at the Recreation Ground.
4Michael Maidens (Hartlepool United)
Shirt number: 25
Maidens got into Hartlepool’s first squad in 2004, at 17, and was seen as a promising midfield prospect. However, tragedy struck in 2007 when Maidens, then 20, was killed in a car accident. He was a passenger in a vehicle that lost control and collided with a metal post near a roundabout on the A174 in October of that year.
Following Michael’s death, Hartlepool’s youth game and match against Swansea City were postponed as a token of respect, and both teams paid tribute to the player on October 21, two days later. Hartlepool retired Maidens’ shirt number, 25, and renamed their Goal of the Season Award ‘The Michael Maidens Goal of the Season Award’ in commemoration of the player, who received the honour the previous year.
5Richard Butcher (Macclesfield Town)
Shirt number: 21
Butcher’s tenure at Macclesfield was brief, with only 15 league games and three goals, but he made an impact on the team. The midfielder joined the club on loan in February 2010, scoring on his debut in a 2-1 defeat to Bury, before making the move permanent a few months later, after his contract with Lincoln City expired.
Butcher’s last game was in January 2011, when Macclesfield lost at Rotherham. Butcher was discovered dead at his Salford home on Monday morning, six days after the loss, after failing to show up for training. Butcher’s wife had been gone, and the midfielder died in his sleep overnight. His death was rendered all the more terrible because it occurred less than a year after the death of Macclesfield manager Keith Alexander, who had managed Butcher at Lincoln City and Peterborough United.
In the weeks that followed, Macclesfield paid several tributes to Butcher, including retiring the number 21 shirt in his honour.
6Marc-Vivien Foe (Manchester City)
Shirt number: 23
Marc-Vivien Foe, who played for the club on loan during the 2002/03 season, was given the role of anchoring Manchester City’s midfield before Rodri and Fernandinho took over. Foe scored nine goals in 35 games for the club, a remarkable total for a defensive midfielder, and was set to return to his parent club Lyon for the 2003/04 season.
He was chosen to play for Cameroon in the 2003 Confederations Cup, but on June 26, during the semi-final against Colombia, Foe fell in the centre circle in the 72nd minute and had to be stretchered off the pitch as medics attempted to resuscitate him.
Doctors worked on Foe for 45 minutes, trying to restart his heart, but he died immediately after reaching the stadium’s medical centre. An autopsy eventually found that Foe’s untimely death was due to a cardiac condition. Kevin Keegan, Man City’s manager at the time, said that the team will no longer use the number 23 shirt, which he had worn throughout his season in England. Maine Road, the club’s former home field, also has a little tribute to him in the garden and on the walls of the players’ tunnel.
7Ray Jones (Queens Park Rangers)
Shirt number: 31
QPR fans were ecstatic when Ray Jones broke into the first team at Loftus Road. His speed, agility, and goal-scoring skills suggested a promising future, but things did not turn out that way.
Jones died tragically in an automobile accident in the early hours of August 25, 2007, when he was only 18. The vehicle he was driving collided with a bus, killing all three passengers. QPR postponed their game against Burnley and elected to retire the number 31 shirt in honour of Jones, who wore the squad number during his stint with the team.
8Dale Roberts (Rushden & Diamonds)
Shirt number: 1
Dale Roberts was more than just a custodian at Rushden & Diamonds. His saves, leadership, and undeniable presence made him a valuable member of the team. Dale died at the age of 24, only hours before his team was scheduled to play his previous club, Eastwood Town, in the FA Trophy.
The cause of death, which occurred in December 2010, was stated to be suicide by hanging, with a coroner indicating that the custodian killed himself after having to cope with an injury and media speculation about his personal life. Following the terrible incident, Rushden retired the number one shirt, ensuring that, despite his death 15 years ago, Roberts will be remembered by his old team’s supporters and players.
9Bobby Moore (West Ham United)
Shirt number: 6
Bobby Moore is one of the most well-known players on this list, and he is the only captain to win the World Cup with England after the country’s victory in 1966. Moore led by example for both England and West Ham, and was the foundation of both his club’s and country’s defences, to the point where the Hammers retired the number six shirt in 2008, 15 years after Moore’s death.
There will never be another Bobby Moore, and he will be long remembered as one of the greatest British football players of all time.
10Dylan Tombides (West Ham United)
Shirt number: 38
At the time of writing, West Ham United is the only English team with two retired squad numbers, thanks to Bobby Moore and Dylan Tombides. Tombides was diagnosed with testicular cancer in mid-2011 while still in the West Ham youth system, and the Australian died in April 2014 after the cancer metastasised to his liver.
Dylan’s father and brother placed Tombides’ shirt in the centre of the pitch before a Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Upton Park the day after his death, with West Ham later stating that the number had been retired in his memory.
11Mark Philo (Wycombe Wanderers)
Shirt number: 14
Philo joined Wycombe as a young player in 1999 after being released by West Ham and Crystal Palace, and he made his first-team debut in 2003. Philo died in January 2006, at the age of 21, after suffering significant brain injuries in a car accident. He had made 19 appearances for the team.
Philo’s car struck head-on with another vehicle at the crossroads of Sandhurst Road and Finchampstead Road in Berkshire early in the morning. Patricia Gammon, the driver of the second car, was pronounced dead on the scene, while Philo was transferred to Reading Hospital, where he died of his injuries later that day.
After Philo died, Wycombe retired the number 14 shirt. Following Philo’s League Cup game at home against Chelsea, the team displayed a banner in his honour.
12Matija Sarkic (Millwall)
Shirt number: 20
Millwall’s decision to retire the No.20 shirt was a heartfelt homage to custodian Matija Sarkic, who died in June at the age of 26 from sudden heart failure. The Monetenegran only joined the club from Wolves in August 2023, but he instantly became a fan favourite, making 33 appearances as the Lions earned safety in the 2023/24 Championship season. His abrupt death created an emotional hole, as teammate George Honeyman put it best: “We’re still just waiting for him to walk through the door.”
Sarkic’s link to the club is preserved by retiring the No. 20 shirt, which acts as a permanent expression of respect. Millwall created a mural at The Den and established the “Matija Sarkic Award” for the finest save of the season, reinforcing his legend in south London and beyond.
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