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In the modern Premier League, shirt numbers are more or less a free-for-all. While we have not (yet) crossed the Rubicon into triple-digit monstrosities, everything from 1-99 is essentially fair game.
Just among the regular starters at Liverpool, Ryan Gravenberch wears number 38, Hugo Ekitike sports 22, and Andy Robertson dons the 26. Gone are the days of 1-11.
In the infamous 5-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Aston Villa in 2019, then-Liverpool midfielder Tom Hill even wore the number 99 jersey. And if you strain your memory, you might vaguely remember someone who used to play with 66 on his back — the name escapes us.
Talksport claims there are "little-known regulations" in the Premier League that steer players away from the largest numbers, with Gianluigi Donnarumma ultimately taking 25 at Manchester City despite claims he would opt for 99. But these rules do not appear to be codified anywhere, with the numbers 1-99 all allowed by the letter of the law.
Yet sometimes, these unspoken agreements can be powerful. Jari Litmanen found as much when he joined Liverpool in 2001, hoping to claim a particular jersey number.
Litmanen arrived midway through 2000/01 with some pedigree, joining from Barcelona after an illustrious stint with Ajax. In 1995, he had even finished third in the Ballon d'Or standings.
Yet Liverpool did not lay out the red carpet when it came to jersey numbers. A boyhood fan, the Finn's first preference would have been the number 7, in honor of Kevin Keegan (and later, Kenny Dalglish).
However, that number was taken by Vladimir Smicer. As an alternative, Litmanen suggested 17, but that was occupied at the time by a certain Steven Gerrard.
Meanwhile, 27 was taken by Gregory Vignal. At this point, Litmanen suggested getting creative.
“Then I asked for 37 – actually, I first asked for 77, because I wanted the seven of Keegan and the seven of Dalglish," he told Liverpoolfc.com. "But they told me that was too high and would be the biggest number in the league."
Whether because of the unspoken pressure of defying Premier League norms or else some secret league rule, Liverpool did not assign 77 to Litmanen. Instead, they settled on the 37 jersey.
In the end, Litmanen decided it was perfect. "Three times seven – Keegan, Dalglish and me."
Even this was the second-highest number in the Liverpool squad at the time. Funnily enough, a fellow Finnish forward had the only higher number — the little-known Daniel Sjolund was assigned 38, although he never got as far as making an appearance for the club.
Litmanen fared a little better, making 43 appearances in all competitions across his Liverpool career. But amid stiff competition from Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, and Emile Heskey, the Finn departed after just 18 months, with nine goals and six assists to his name.
Nevertheless, he looks back fondly on his time with Liverpool (which included a famous treble), and he has returned for recent Legends matches. While he never quite lived up to the 7s of Keegan and Dalglish, he still got to write a chapter in Anfield history.
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