Fans, players and coaches all have superstitions, with over 9 in 10 Brits attributing game-day results to superstitions.
Whether it’s the order they exit the tunnel, the colour of their boots, the food eaten pre-match or the number on the back of shirts, two thirds of Brits believe in superstitions when betting for or against their team.
Be it cultural beliefs, past experiences, or historical events, numbers hold great significance. In fact, half of Brits have a lucky number, while more than one in four claim to have an unlucky one.
In light of this, we addressed the superstition and stigma surrounding shirt numbers, revealing the Premier League’s unluckiest numbers, to help superstitious football fans get rid of their unlucky omens ahead of upcoming big games.
Revealed: The Unluckiest Number in the Premier League
Our research has found that shirt number 10 has been the unluckiest in the Premier League over the past decade, with the now-infamous double digit number being worn by the likes of Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford, and even former Tottenham legend Harry Kane!
No.10 scored a chart-topping 58.26% within our ranking, coming ahead of second placed No.9 (57.76%) and third placed No.7 (57.14%).
The Unluckiest Starting 11 in the Premier League
AskGamblers analysis has also uncovered the Premier League’s unluckiest starting XI, based on the most unlucky numbers by position between 2014/15 and 2023/24.
Up top, the unlucky No.10 shirt is fittingly partnered by No.13, as shirt numbers 17, 7, 6 and 15 make up the midfield. Numbers 8, 12, 6 and 23 make up the Unlucky Numbers XI’s defence, meanwhile No.12 is between the sticks.
What Is Your Team’s Unluckiest Number?
We analysed data relating to every team that played in the top-flight between the 2014/15 season and the 2023/24 campaign to reveal which shirt number potentially plagues players and fans of each club.
Manchester United’s No.21 shirt, held by the likes of Anthony, Edison Cavani and Daniel James was found to be the unluckiest number at Old Trafford, meanwhile, in the blue half of Manchester, the No.10 jersey, associated with the likes of Jack Grealish and Sergio Aguero was found the be most unlucky.
Arsenal haven’t lifted the Premier League trophy since 2004, but could removing the No.5 jersey be the key to success?
Also in North London are Spurs, who haven’t won a trophy since 2008. Harry Kane had an outstanding record at the club, however, the striker held the No.10 shirt, something AskGamblers have found to be the club’s unluckiest.
Southampton and Leicester City are both facing a return to the Championship, but as well as poor performances, could the continued inclusion of the unlucky shirt numbers 11 and 3 be having an impact?
Chelsea have been plagued by striker issues, but could the continued selection of No.9 be the issue? AskGamblers found the 9 jersey to be Stamford Bridge’s unluckiest, with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Tammy Abraham and Álvaro Morata all amongst the recent wearers.
Methodology:
AskGamblers gathered data relating to every player to have played in the Premier League between the 2014/15 to the 2023/24 season, taking statistics from the official Premier League website, and injury data from TransferMarkt. A number of stat-based factors were indexed to create a ranking of each club’s most unlucky shirt number.
