Can new recruit Gabriel Jesus finally lift the 'curse' from Arsenal's infamous number 9 shirt?
The number nine jersey is considered to be one of the most coveted jerseys. It is generally handed to the lead striker at a club.
Great players like Ronaldo (Brazilian), Gabriel Batistuta, Robert Lewandowski, Bobby Charlton, Fernando Torres and Alfredo Di Stefano have donned the number nine shirts for their clubs and countries and have made the number an iconic one. But when it comes to Arsenal, the number nine shirt is often considered a cursed one.
Since 1998, when Croatian forward Davor Suker joined the club and took the number nine shirt, players who have worn the number have not really excelled at the club. From Julio Baptista and Eduardo to Alexandre Lacazette the number 9s of the Gunners could not reach the heights they were expected to reach. Eduardo's case though was unfortunate as he had started his Arsenal career brightly before a serious injury derailed him.
There are of course exceptions to this norm as players like Lukas Podolski did well while donning the number 9 shirt of Arsenal.
New signing Gabriel Jesus will be donning the shirt in the upcoming season after Lacazette's departure from the club this summer and Arsenal fans will hope that the curse gets over soon so that the Brazilian can deliver. The former Manchester City man has already scored seven goals in five pre-season matches which includes a hat-trick against Sevilla.
Getty1Alexandre Lacazette
The French forward joined Arsenal in 2017 for a then club record transfer fee of €53m plus €7m add-ons. He appeared in 206 matches for the Gunners where he scored 71 goals in five years. During his time with Arsenal, he won two titles, FA Cup 2019/20 and 2017 Community Shield.
Stint: 2017-2022
Trophies: FA Cup (1), Community Shield (1)
Verdict: AVERAGE
Advertisement2Lucas Perez
The Spanish forward’s stay with Arsenal was short-lived as he spent just one season at the club. He joined in 2016 and scored only seven goals in 21 appearances. Ahead of the 2017/18 season he was sent on loan to Deportivo La Coruna and was then sold to West Ham in 2018.
Stint: 2016-2018
Trophy: FA Cup (1)
Verdict: FLOP
Getty3Lukas Podolski
One of the best players to have donned Arsenal’s number 9 shirt in the 21st century is German winger Lukas Podolski. He joined the club in 2012 and spent two and half years at the club. In January 2015 he was sent on loan to Inter Milan for half a season and was sold ahead of the 2015/16 campaign. In the 82 matches he appeared for Arsenal, Podolski scored 31 goals and was an integral part of Arsenal's 2013/14 FA Cup winning side.
Stint: 2012-2015
Trophy: FA Cup (1)
Verdict: HIT
Getty Images4Park Chu-Young
The South Korean joined Arsenal in 2011 and stayed until 2014 but in those three seasons, he had a couple of loan spells. He appeared in just seven matches for the club in one and half seasons and scored just one goal.
Stint: 20111-2014
Trophy: None
Verdict: FLOP