Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Joao Pedro is one of the numerous Chelsea players to be handed a new squad number for the upcoming season, giving up the number 20 shirt.
Pedro has shifted to wear the iconic number nine shirt, taking the responsibility off Liam Delap after he had it for just one season.
Delap scored just one Premier League goal last season, and a total of two for the campaign is simply not enough to warrant that responsibility.
Where will Chelsea finish in the Premier League in 2026/27?
Let's hear how you think Xabi Alonso will get on this season…
The curse of the number nine shirt at Chelsea
The Englishman is by no means the first player to struggle at Chelsea after being handed the number nine shirt.
It had actually been two years since someone had taken on the so-called ‘curse of the number nine shirt’. No one had worn it since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2023.
Before his unsuccessful stint, it had been the shirt number of Romelu Lukaku, Tammy Abraham, Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata consecutively.
Chelsea v Real Sociedad - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
While Abraham somewhat impressed after coming through the academy, he was not seen as the long-term answer to their striker woes, and the other three all performed better when playing at other clubs.
This was the same story for Radamel Falcao and Fernando Torres before them, despite the Blues spending a club-record £50m at the time to sign the Spaniard.
Steve Sidwell and Khalid Boulahrouz were non-factors in an elite time for Chelsea, with them following Hernan Crespo’s era as the number nine.
The Argentine’s 2005/06 season has cult hero status amongst some Chelsea fans, but he never hit the heights he did in Milan when he moved to Stamford Bridge.
Mateja Kezman preceded Crespo and struggled, meaning you would have to go back to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to find a player who succeeded while wearing the number nine.
The Dutchman was at Chelsea between 2000 and 2004, scoring 87 goals in 177 games for the Blues.
Even though players wearing the number nine have largely not worked out in recent memory, there are enough role models for how to play up front in West London.
Didier Drogba and Diego Costa are the top two of the modern era, however neither had to deal with this ‘curse’ which has troubled some of the best strikers in world football before.