Today marks the day that Cody Gakpo officially becomes a new Liverpool player. Welcome, Cody!
Of course, we’ve known for the last few days that the Dutch forward will become Jurgen Klopp’s first recruit of 2023. But that doesn’t make it any less special.
Upon hearing the news that the deal had been wrapped up, we also learnt that Gakpo will don the No.18 shirt at Liverpool.
So, to celebrate, we thought we’d have a look into the shirt number’s past at the club. As it turns out, it’s actually been something of a lucky one for those adorning it.
Stacking up the trophies
Despite only 10 players previously wearing No.18 at Liverpool, it has seen a reasonable amount of success.
Many Reds fans will remember that Takumi Minamino was the shirt’s most recent incumbent. Despite little game time, Taki had a career to remember with Liverpool. In two-and-a-half years at Anfield, the Japanese won the League Cup, FA Cup and Premier League.
Prior to Minamino, Alberto Moreno was another No.18 who lifted silverware at Liverpool. He may not have had a huge hand in it, but Albie did end his Reds career with a Champions League winners medal in 2019.
Before the Spanish full-back picked up the shirt in 2014, it had sat vacant for two years. Moreno had followed on from another Dutch attacker – Dirk Kuyt. Kuyt can count just a single League Cup as his Liverpool trophy haul, but he’ll always be very fondly remembered for his 71 goals in 286 games with the number on his back.
Less fondly remembered is Antonio Nunez, who wore the shirt for just one season – 2004/05. Luckily for Nunez, that was a season to cherish for Liverpool, as they picked up a wildly improbably Champions League trophy.
John Arne Riise was one of the heroes of that legendary season. By then he’d moved onto the more appropriate No.6. But for the first three of his seven seasons at Anfield he wore No.18. ‘Ginge’ won a League Cup and a UEFA Super Cup sporting Gakpo’s new number.
Plenty to live up to for Cody
So, the recent history of the No.18 has been encouraging for Gakpo, to say the least. That’s good, because the five players who came before him didn’t have all that much luck in it – with one notable exception.
Ronny Rosenthal was the first to sport the number in 199/94. However, he only played three league games in it before leaving in summer ’94. Next, came local lad Phil Charnock, who played just twice between 1994 and 1996. Neither Erik Meijer nor Jean-Michel Ferri made much of an impression either.
Sandwiched in-between Charnock and Ferri though, was a man who did. It may not be the shirt Michael Owen is best remembered in at Liverpool, but he still did some damage in it.
Owen made his debut wearing the number in 1997 and went on to score 24 goals in 46 games with it on his back. A clear superstar in the making, he took ownership of the No.10 shirt following the 1998 World Cup.
With the No.10 currently free at Liverpool, perhaps Owen’s is a path that Gakpo can follow. Over to you, Cody.
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