Summary: Foden’s number 47 shirt honours his late grandfather, Ronnie.
Despite the possibility to move to the renowned number 10, Foden chose to stick with 47, forging his own legacy.
The tattoo of the number 47 behind Foden’s ear demonstrates his strong connection to his family and ancestors.
There’s no doubt that Phil Foden was Manchester City’s top player in the 2023-24 season. The versatile offensive midfielder, who can also play on either wing, was outstanding as the Citizens claimed their fourth Premier League title in a row. He rightly won the Premier League’s prized Player of the Season accolade for his exceptional achievements.
During his time with Manchester City’s senior squad, fans have seen him develop from a promising wonderkid to a global superstar. It may surprise some that, despite his ascent to stardom in world football, the 25-year-old still wears the number 47 jersey.
A talented player who plays similar duties as Foden would generally wear the number 10 or 11 shirt for their team, but he’s never switched from 47. There’s a reason why he chose to stick rather than twist, so let’s look closely at the meaning behind the unusual shirt number.
Why Foden Picked Number 47
According to talkSPORT, Sergio Aguero promised Foden the number 10 shirt when he departed the club in 2021. However, even the prospect of following in the clinical striker’s renowned footsteps was unable to persuade the City ace to change his jersey number.
There’s a sentimental rationale for Foden’s number choosing. It’s a nice memorial to his late grandfather, Ronnie, who tragically died at the age of 47. This assures that Ronnie’s memory will always be carried wherever the courteous footballer plays.
Growing up in Manchester, it was almost certain that the England international’s family had roots in either the blue or red half of the city. Ronnie is claimed to have been a great City supporter, adding to the remarkable story of Foden’s climb to the top of his hometown club.
It’s clear that he has a different number on his back than the normal number 10, and the technically skilled midfielder explained why he chose not to take Aguero’s shirt number:
“I thought about it. The ten shirt is a major deal in the club, but I just have a thing with 47. I’d like to leave my own legacy and maintain that number.”
One of the division’s top players is making a new number famous, much like Trent Alexander-Arnold did with Liverpool’s No. 66 shirt. Don’t be shocked if new players who like Foden decide to follow in his footsteps in the future. However, Foden does not wear No. 47 while playing for England because squad numbers are more limited at the international level. He wore No. 20 at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup before moving to No. 11 for Euro 2024.
Foden has a Number 47 tattoo.
There’s little reason to suppose Foden will change the number on the back of his City shirt in the future, given that the versatile forward already has the number 47 tattooed right behind his ear.
It only goes to show how important his grandfather’s memory is to him, and that number will now stay with Foden for the rest of his life, even when he retires from playing in many years. This isn’t Foden’s only tattoo; cameras have also discovered one on the other side of his face, behind his other ear, that reads: “Sky is the limit.”
Foden, clearly an ambitious young guy, already has an impressive trophy cabinet, having won the Premier League six times, the Champions League, and other domestic cups. In his brief career, he has not missed out on any club trophies, with Manchester City adding the European Super Cup and Club World Cup to their formidable record of accolades in 2023.
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