Anthony Gordon's Barcelona Move: What Number Will He Wear?
Anthony Gordon is on the brink of a move that changes everything. From Goodison Park to St James’ Park and now, it seems, to Camp Nou – with Barcelona ready to drop around €80 million (£69.3m, $93.2m) to make him their first blockbuster signing of the summer.
The chase has been fierce. Bayern Munich circled. Arsenal and Liverpool weighed it up. Barcelona simply moved quicker and harder, determined not to miss out on a winger whose stock has rocketed over the past 18 months.
For Gordon, the pull is obvious. Camp Nou. La Liga. A club that still sells itself on history, on the weight of that shirt. When England head to the 2026 World Cup in the coming weeks, his future is expected to be already settled, his next chapter written in the Catalan colours of La Blaugrana.
And with that comes a more curious subplot: what number does he take in Barcelona’s dressing room?
A Career Told Through Numbers
Gordon’s rise has been mirrored by the numbers on his back.
He slipped into senior football at Everton almost anonymously, a teenager wearing No. 70 in the 2017–18 season. Just another academy hopeful getting a taste of the Premier League.
Two years later, he edged closer to the core of the squad. No. 42. Still high, still a reminder of his status, but a step up. More minutes, more trust, a clearer pathway.
Then came the switch. In 2020–21, Gordon flipped the digits and took No. 24 for the first half of the campaign at Everton, before heading out on loan to Preston North End, where he went back to that familiar No. 42. A young winger still searching for his place, his rhythm, his identity.
The real statement came with No. 10. At Everton, that shirt carries weight. It signals responsibility, creativity, expectation. Gordon wore it in his final season at Goodison, then again at Newcastle United, where he has grown into one of the Premier League’s most dynamic forwards.
His first months on Tyneside, though, told a different story. With Allan Saint-Maximin holding the No. 10, Gordon settled for No. 8, a temporary fit while he waited for his preferred number to open up. Even then, he found a way to make it work, driving from the left, cutting inside, carrying Newcastle’s attack in big moments.
For England, there has been no such consistency. International football rarely offers it. He has bounced between No. 18, 17, 11 and 7 – a reflection of squad rotations, tournament dynamics and the depth of attacking options at Gareth Southgate’s disposal. The shirt changes. The job stays the same.
Barcelona’s Famous Numbers – And Gordon’s Options
Now comes the real intrigue. Barcelona’s dressing room is a museum of shirt numbers. Some are spoken about with reverence, some with superstition, some with both.
The most eye-catching vacancy is obvious: No. 9. Robert Lewandowski’s exit as a free agent this summer will leave one of football’s most iconic shirts unclaimed. It’s the number worn by Luis Suárez, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldo. A shirt that belongs to finishers, to box predators, to forwards who define eras.
Barcelona, though, are expected to chase a new central striker. That usually means one thing: keep No. 9 clear, hold it back for the player who will be asked to lead the line and carry the goalscoring burden.
So where does that leave Gordon?
The landscape is still inviting. No. 12 is free. No. 14 is free as well – a number with its own history at the club and, more recently, the shirt Marcus Rashford wore during his loan spell in Catalonia. For a wide forward who thrives cutting in, No. 14 carries a certain swagger, a hint of versatility and attacking menace.
There could be more movement. If Ferran Torres moves on, No. 7 opens up – a classic winger’s number, the kind that fits Gordon’s direct, aggressive style. Should Andreas Christensen depart, No. 15 would also become available, a less glamorous but still solid choice.
Then there’s the wildcard. João Cancelo’s loan is ending, which frees up No. 2. Traditionally a defender’s shirt, it would be an unorthodox choice for a winger, but football has long since stopped obeying those old rules. For a player looking to stand out in a squad full of stars, an unexpected number can become a brand in itself.
La Liga rules add one final constraint: first-team players must wear numbers between 1 and 25. There’s no hiding in the 70s or 40s this time. No academy anonymity. Gordon will have to pick from the core pool, step fully into the spotlight and own whatever number he chooses.
Gordon is set to become only the third Englishman to pull on Barcelona’s colours. The fee, the stage, the expectation – all of it is huge. But at a club where numbers tell stories, the digit on his back will say plenty about how he sees himself in this new era.
Does he chase history with a shirt already steeped in legend, or carve out something of his own in Catalonia?
