Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma and the Italian goalkeeper has already made Premier League history with his shirt number.
The 26-year-old shot-stopper, who arrives from Paris Saint-Germain as City’s final summer signing, will wear the No. 99 jersey, becoming the first player in Premier League history to do so.
Donnarumma joins Pep Guardiola’s squad as the direct replacement for Ederson, who departed for Fenerbahçe. However, instead of inheriting Ederson’s former No. 31 or James Trafford’s No. 1 shirt, the Italy international opted for the number that has defined his career.
The towering keeper first wore 99 when he broke into AC Milan’s first team as a 16-year-old in 2015. It was not only a nod to his status as a youth prospect but also a tribute to the year of his birth — 1999. Since then, the number has become synonymous with Donnarumma’s rise from prodigy to European champion.
Premier League rules allow players to pick any number between 1 and 99, but until now no one had ever gone as high as 99. Liverpool’s Conor Bradley briefly wore 84 last season, while City youngster Rico Lewis wears 82, but Donnarumma’s choice sets a new precedent.
Standing at 6’5”, Donnarumma has always stood out — literally. By the age of 10 he was already six feet tall, often forcing his mother to carry his ID to prove his age during youth matches.
Now, after more than 300 senior appearances, a Euro 2020 triumph, and a spell in Paris, he is ready to begin a new chapter in Manchester with No. 99 on his back once again.
