Jeremy Jacquet will wear the number five shirt for Liverpool after choosing to succeed countryman Ibrahima Konate.
Jacquet‘s decision underlines how important he is expected to be for the Reds next season and beyond, and even hints at the possibility of an immediate starting berth next to Virgil van Dijk.
Though fans are disappointed at the way he handled his exit from the club, Konate will be a relatively tough act to follow for the 21-year-old, and the Frenchman takes his place in Rousing The Kop‘s countdown of Liverpool‘s best five number fives of the Premier League era.
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5. Steve Staunton – 1998-2001
Remarkably, Jacquet is only the eighth player to have worn the No. 5 for Liverpool since 1992, with the first being Dane Torben Piechnik, who made only 24 appearances for the Reds, and the second, Steve Harkness wearing it for only one season in 1992/93.
Steve Staunton then took the number for his second spell at Anfield, beginning in 1998 and ending three years later.
The Irishman made only 58 appearances with five on his back, making him a generous entry into fifth place in this list, but an entry nonetheless.
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4. Milan Baros – 2001-2006
Although five is often reserved for defenders, Milan Baros made what remains one of the most controversial shirt number choices in Liverpool history by picking it upon his arrival from Banik Ostrava in 2001.
Though he was hardly one of the Reds’ most prolific strikers of the Premier League era, Baros will always be fondly remembered at Anfield for the part he played in Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in 2005.
Having also top-scored at Euro 2004 with the Czech Republic, there was clearly a good striker in there somewhere, and while his tally of 27 goals in 108 appearances hardly jumps off the page, Baros ultimately restored some pride to the number five after a poor few years.
3. Daniel Agger – 2006-2014
After Baros left for Aston Villa in January 2006, his shirt was immediately picked up by Daniel Agger, who arrived in the same month from Brondby.
Agger would go on to become one of the most celebrated of Liverpool’s Premier League centre-backs up to that point, lasting eight-and-a-half years on Merseyside.
Sadly for the Dane, his spell with the Reds coincided with a very lean period in terms of trophy-winning.
He did not play in the 2006 FA Cup at all, meaning that his only trophy with Liverpool came via the League Cup in 2012. Injuries also interrupted his time with the Reds, restricting him to 232 appearances.
Despite the issues, on his day Agger was one of the most cultured defenders around, and as a passionate and committed player, he remains a big fan favourite.
His lack of trophies and his persistent fitness issues push him down to third here, but there is a parallel universe where Agger sits unopposed at number one.
2. Ibrahima Konate – 2021-2026
Konate might currently be extremely unpopular amongst Liverpool fans, who may point to Agger’s loyalty – he reportedly turned down moves to Barcelona and Manchester City to stay with the Reds – as reason to put him above the Frenchman, who has jumped ship to Real Madrid.
While that might be fair, on a purely footballing basis, Konate probably just edges Agger.
On ability, the former Denmark international was superior, and an Agger/Virgil van Dijk partnership would have been absolutely formidable, but Konate is a Premier League title-winner for Liverpool, and that should count for a lot.
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- Sadio Mane
- Gini Wijnaldum
- Andy Robertson
- Mohamed Salah
- Virgil van Dijk
- Alisson Becker
- Fabinho
- Diogo Jota
- Thiago Alcantara
- Ibrahima Konate
The 27-year-old was virtually ever-present for the Reds as they secured the league title in 2025, and after his disappointing subsequent season, it can be easy to forget how good he was during that glorious campaign.
Like Agger, injuries were a problem for Konate during his first three years at the club, but he still played a big part in Liverpool winning the FA Cup and League Cup, while also being man of the match in a Champions League final defeat. The way he left rankles, and it is perhaps the toss of a coin, but Konate edges into second place.
1. Gini Wijnaldum – 2016-2021
When Konate arrived he did so having taken the number left by Gini Wijnaldum, whose choice of number five was also slightly odd, given he had played as a forward for Newcastle one year earlier.
Nevertheless, Wijnaldum quickly went about making himself one of the most crucial cogs in the Jurgen Klopp machine, providing the engine to a team who won it all.
Relentlessly press-resistant, Wijnaldum also chipped in with crucial goals, and will forever be remembered for his iconic double during the Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona in 2019.
That alone would be enough to put him at number one on this list, but he also excelled in the Premier League as well. A key member of the 2020 Premier League-winning team, Wijnaldum developed into one of the most versatile midfielders in Europe during his time with the Reds.
Exiting on a free transfer to PSG in 2021, the Dutchman’s time at Anfield should have gone on for longer, but he built a legacy on the No. 5 across half a decade which Jacquet would do incredibly well to match.
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