Soccer, as we know it, started up in the late 1800s, and it wasn’t too much later — starting in the early 1900s — that players wearing numbers started being a thing. While many conventions have developed around which players wear which numbers, one of the first and most consistent conventions is that the goalkeeper is assigned the No. 1 jersey.
This article will explain more about why soccer players have the numbers they have, why goalkeepers wear the No. 1 jersey, and some exceptions to the rule — famous outfield players who have worn No. 1.
The History
Multiple accounts of soccer’s history pinpoint assigning numbers to soccer players to the 1910s, starting in Australia in 1911 and then to England in 1913. Players were assigned jersey numbers based on their positions on the field. Though soccer players are a bit more fluid and creative in how they choose their numbers today, the conventions hold true today.
As AS explained in an article on the topic, in addition to goalkeepers getting the No. 1 and the special rules applying only to them, outside backs will typically get the No. 2 and No. 3 jerseys, center backs typically wear the No. 4 and No. 5 jerseys, and the defensive midfielder typically gets the No. 6.
From there, there’s a bit more range as to what players wear No. 7 through No. 11, but at its origins, No. 7 and No. 11 were assigned to wing players, No. 8 and No. 10 were given to more advanced central midfielders, and No. 9 was given to the center forward.
Over time, more rules and guidelines — from FIFA, the worldwide governing body of soccer, and from certain pro leagues like Spain’s La Liga — emerged to address goalkeeper and outfield numbers.
While some backup goalkeepers wear No. 12 (starting over after 1 through 11), FIFA has also stipulated goalkeepers wear No. 1, 13 or 25 for certain competitions, limiting the choices available and perhaps stifling a bit of goalkeeper creativity.
But even for leagues where players can choose whatever numbers they want — including Major League Soccer, where the occasional rogue striker has taken No. 99 — numbers around the world typically fall into the No. 1 to 25 range, and the starting goalkeeper is typically the easiest player to spot.
The Most Famous Goalkeepers Wearing No. 1
Go through the history of soccer, and you’ll find that a great number of the best keepers ever to play the game have worn No. 1.
Lev Yashin
Starting with the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, named in 1994 to honor soccer’s rich history, the goalkeeper for that MVP squad (also including the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Bobby Moore, and Pele) is Lev Yashin.
The legendary keeper played in four World Cups for the Soviet Union between 1958 and 1970, and played his club soccer with Dynamo Moscow in a career that spanned 20 years, starting in 1950.
At a time when goalkeepers would stand in goal and wait for shots to come, Yashin was more proactive, rushing out to meet opposing players, helping to revolutionize goalkeeper play in the process. Yashin also dressed head-to-toe in black, earning the intimidating nickname “the Black Spider” to enhance his reputation.
Manuel Neuer
Another No. 1 that transformed goalkeeping as we know it was Manuel Neuer. The German national team legend is still active, continuing a pro career that started in 2005 and a national team career that started in 2009.
In addition to the pinnacle of winning a World Cup with Germany in 2014, Neuer placed third in Ballon d’Or balloting that year behind legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi — quite the achievement for a goalkeeper.
Neuer has a reputation for playing with the ball at his feet and drifting far from his penalty area, earning the nickname “sweeper keeper” in the process. Since 2011, he’s done that professionally in a Bayern Munich jersey, coming over from Schalke to anchor what’s become one of the most dominant club teams in Europe.
Bayern Munich’s currently got a string of 10 straight Bundesliga titles dating back to 2013, and in the DFB-Pokal, Germany’s major pro team tournament, Bayern’s got five titles during Neuer’s time — getting the club to a record-setting 20 trophies as the last team standing.
Gianluigi Buffon
Another modern goalkeeping legend, Gianluigi Buffon, is like Neuer in that he’s got a World Cup victory to his credit and is largely identified with one of the best club teams in his country for a long and dominant stretch. Buffon has been Italy’s No. 1 and number one goalkeeping choice for much of 21 years with the national team.
Starting in 1997, Buffon has 176 caps with the Azzurri, including the 2006 World Cup when he let in just two goals in seven matches, getting five clean sheets en route to lifting the trophy.
He also captained and led Juventus to multiple scudettos and two Champions League finals, making five UEFA Teams of the Year and being named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a stunning 12 times in his nearly 20 seasons with the Old Lady.
Gordon Banks
Banks was arguably the best all-time England goalkeeper, making over 700 appearances between club and country, including tending goal for the 1966 World Cup-winning Three Lions, and making an epic save on Pele in the 1970 World Cup still regarded amongst the game’s greatest saves.
While he primarily played pro soccer with English clubs Leicester City and Stoke City, he also had a cameo late in his career with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL.
Dino Zoff
Zoff, like Buffon after him, was a goalkeeper for a World Cup-winning Italy team, helping them capture the 1982 World Cup as a 40-year-old, and leading Juventus to a UEFA title shortly after moving from Napoli.
FIFA, in a tribute to Zoff on his 80th birthday, reported:
“When Zoff was rejected by Inter Milan and Juventus as a 14-year-old for being too small, his father told him to focus on becoming a mechanic. His grandmother, though, had a different solution and took to feeding the crestfallen youngster eight raw eggs a day from her farm in an attempt to boost his height.” Though unconventional, he did get to six feet tall, good enough for Udinese to launch his pro career.
FIFA
The most famous outfield players wearing No. 1
Though it’s mostly goalkeepers who wear No. 1 in soccer, there are a few players who have donned the No. 1 in the outfield.
One of the most famous was Edgar Davids; as The Guardian recalled, Davids took the No. 1 jersey when taking the unusual dual role of player-manager for English side Barnet.
That same article noted that the Netherlands and Argentina had outfield players wearing No. 1. Ruud Geels did it for the Netherlands in 1974. Argentina, which assigned numbers alphabetically rather than positionally for a stretch, gave the No. 1 to Norberto Alonso in 1978, Osvaldo Ardiles in 1982, and Sergio Almirón in 1986. (FIFA would eventually designate the No. 1 jersey for goalkeepers in international competitions to end trends like that one.)
As the Daily Mail noted, that trend also got to English clubs. When Charlton dedicated to organizing numbers alphabetically in the early 1990s, it was defender Stuart Balmer who lucked into the No. 1 jersey
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