by Staff Writer
Thursday, 4th September 2025
It has been confirmed that Igor Julio will wear the number five shirt during his season-long loan spell at West Ham United.
The Brazilian defender moved from Brighton & Hove Albion on transfer deadline day to become Graham Potter's final signing of a busy transfer window, which saw seven new players in total join the club's first team squad.
And he joins an illustrious list of players to have worn the shirt in the Premier League era, following the introduction of squad numbers.
When West Ham returned to the top flights for the 1993/94 season the shirt was taken by Simon Webster, having been worn during the previous (Championship) campaign by Alvin Martin, Tony Gale and Colin Foster.
However as Webster failed to make a single appearance that season it wasn't until the following year, 1994/95 that the shirt was utilised - and not by Webster but by Alvin Martin, who returned to the shirt having worn number 18 the previous season.
Martin retained the #5 shirt for the following campaign but come the 1996/97 campaign, it was adopted by new signing Richard Hall who had moved from Southampton the previous summer in a £1.4million switch.
Like Webster, Hall was to suffer a serious injury that prevented him from playing until April and he ended the season with just seven appearances - all in the Premiership - under his belt. A reoccurrence prevented him from playing at all during the 1997/98 campaign and he went on to make just one more appearances in a claret and blue shirt before retiring at the age of just 27.
In August 1999, another Igor - Stimac - effectively replaced Hall in Harry Redknapp's squad, moving from Derby in a £600,000 deal, while also taking the #5 shirt which the centre half was to wear on 44 occasions during the following two seasons.
The shirt was unused for the opening half of the 2001/02 campaign following Stimac's sale to Hadjuk Spilt, but taken up by Vladimir Labant upon his arrival at West Ham in January 2002; the former Sparta Prague left back costing £1million.
Despite making 14 appearances in the second half of that season, Labant was shunned by Glenn Roeder during the following, disastrous campaign and returned to his former club, initially on loan, in December 2002, before making the deal permanent the following summer.
Taking his place was Lee Bowyer, who signed in January 2003 under controversial circumstances which led to protests staged outside the Boleyn Ground; the former Leeds Utd midfielder has been involved in a lengthy court case in which he had been accused of a racist attack. Bowyer was to leave at the end of the season anyway, following West Ham's relegation - on a record 42 points - at the end of the season.
Back in the second tier for the first time in 11 years, the Hammers signed veteran midfielder Rob Lee - and like many of his predecessors failed to enjoy a full season, making just 19 appearances for the first team under Trevor Brooking and Alan Pardew.
With Lee granted a free transfer by the Hammers in the summer of 2004, the #5 shirt was handed over to Welsh international Andy Melville, who also struggled to retain a first team spot and ended the campaign with just 17 appearances under his belt.
Following West Ham's promotion via the play-offs, having beaten Preston North End 1-0 at Cardiff Millennium Stadium, Anton Ferdinand took up what was rapidly becoming a poisoned chalice by moving adopting the #5 shirt at the beginning of the 2005/06, having previously worn #15.
The younger of the two Ferdinand brothers to represent the Hammers in the Premiership was to wear the shirt with pride for the next three years until West Ham's financial problems saw him sold to Sunderland in August 2008 for £8million. His replacement, the previously unknown Uruguayan full-back Walter 'Wally' Lopez, who in keeping with the club's position arrived on a free transfer.
Lopez was unable to secure a first team spot, having frequently been overlooked in favour of Herita Ilunga and after just five appearances was handed a free transfer the following summer - and the #5 shirt was subsequently left unused the following season 2009/10.
Another home grown youngster in the shape of James Tomkins emerged from the club's Academy to adorn the shirt for the 2010/11 campaign. The centre half, a popular figure with Hammers fans was the longest owner of the #5 shirt in the Premier League era, wearing it as he did for the next six season - during which he made 243 appearances and scored 11 goals - before being sold to Crystal Palace in July 2016 for £10million.
The departure of Tomkins coincided with the club's move from Upton Park to Stratford and rather against CEO Karren Brady's mantra of "a world class stadium for a world class team", veteran full back Alvaro Arbeloa moved from Real Madrid for a nominal fee on summer transfer deadline day 2016.
The former Spanish international was to make just four appearances that season before being released on a free transfer at the end of the 2016/17 campaign - to be replaced by another Spanish-speaking, well-travelled full back in the shape of Pablo Zabaleta.
A hero at former club Manchester City, who he had helped to land the first of several Premier League titles, the Buenos Aires-born right back was similarly popular at West Ham, for whom he was to make 73 appearances during the next three years before being released on a free transfer at the end of the 2019/20 season.
The 2020/21 season saw West Ham and manager David Moyes dip into the coffers to sign Vladimir Coufal from Slavia Prague for a fee of £5million. The hugely popular Czech Republic international was to become a hero at the club, staying for the next five years during which he made 147 appearances including playing a role in the UEFA Conference League win in his home nation, when West Ham beat Fiorentina 2-1 in Prague to become the first Hammers team to win a major trophy on foreign soil.
Against his wishes, Coufal departed on a free transfer at the end of the 2024/25 season having failed to agree a new contract with the club and signed for Bundesliga side Hoffenheim - which vacated the #5 shirt for Nayef Aguerd, who had returned to West Ham having spent the previous season on loan in Spain.
However the Moroccan international was to wear the shirt for just two matches at the beginning of the 2025/26 season before moving to Ligue 1 side Marseille on transfer deadline day, vacating it for Julio who is set to become the 16th player to wear the #5 shirt in the Premie League era.
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