GdS: Milan officially without a No.9 player for the first time in 100+ years

AC Milan will be without a No.9 for the 2025-26 season, which will be a first in 100 years, but it might be for the best as highlighted by a report. 

Gazzetta dello Sport has published an article this evening, stating how the No.9 jersey has gone from a symbol of glory to a cursed entity. It’s a number that has belonged to some of the Rossoneri’s best goalscorers, but today it brings more shadows than light.

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With Jovic’s departure at the start of the summer, Milan find themselves without a No.9 for this season: something that has never happened in over a hundred years of history. While there used to be a competitive race to wear it, there now seems to be a fear of taking it on.

Indeed, as the newspaper continues, Milan’s No.9 jersey has long been a symbol of power and pride. From the 1950s to the late 1990s, the number was honoured by great champions: Nordahl, Altafini, Sormani, and Van Basten are just a few.

However, starting in the 2012-13 season with Pato, the shirt turned into a curse with a long list of flops: Matri, Torres, Destro, Luiz Adriano, Lapadula, Andre Silva, Higuain, Piatek, and Mandzukic. Only Giroud, who wore it for three seasons, managed to break the curse.

This summer, Milan looked for a new signing to take on the No.9 shirt, but perhaps it’s a good thing that no one picked it up. There’s enough pressure on the season as it is, after all.