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The underwhelming history of Griezmann’s new Barcelona shirt

By Chiranjib Ghosh

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 14: President Josep Maria Bartomeu of FC Barcelona and Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona present Griezmann's jersey during the press conference of FC Barcelona at Camp Nou on July 14, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 14: President Josep Maria Bartomeu of FC Barcelona and Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona present Griezmann's jersey during the press conference of FC Barcelona at Camp Nou on July 14, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images) /
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New signing Antoine Griezmann has been given the No.17 shirt at Barcelona

For the first time in his senior career, World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann will be donning the No.17 shirt. He had last worn that shirt during his time with the France U-21 team. But a move to Barcelona is always a new start for any player, regardless of stature.

The 28-year old forward wore the No.27 shirt at Real Sociedad, while his time at Atlético saw him wear No.7. He also donned the same shirt with the France national team in all major tournaments he played in.

But Griezmann’s new shirt at Barça does not have the best history, which complements a move which is already controversial. The No.17 shirt at Barça has been worn by a total of 12 players since its induction into the first-team squad in 1996.

No one has worn it beyond four seasons, with 7 players donning it for a solitary season. Needless to say, no player who has worn the No.17 shirt has had a very successful time at Barça with the exception of La Masia graduate and treble winner Pedro.

The last four wearers of the shirt have been Jeison Murillo, Paco Alcácer, Munir el Haddadi and Alex Song. None of them were in the first-team, and eventually ended up leaving the club on a low. This is especially true for Murillo and Song, who were utter failures.

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Previous occupants of the number have included some high-profile players like Mark van Bommel, Gaizka Mendieta and Emmanuel Petit. Van Bommel could not do particularly well under Frank Rijkaard, while Petit turned out to be a very poor signing.

Mendieta was brought in on loan from Lazio just a season after he had joined the Italian club in a record €48 million deal from Valencia, but returned to his parent club. Other occupants have included benchwarmers Philippe Christanval and Emmanuel Amunike.

Winston Bogarde had a moderately successful Barça career, but wore the No.17 shirt for just two seasons. The only other player to wear this shirt was La Masia graduate Giovani dos Santos, who now plies his trade in the MLS with LA Galaxy.

Of course, a player is judged by his performances and not his shirt number. Also, there are many precedents of new signings who have overturned the bad fortune associated with certain shirt numbers. But Griezmann’s new shirt number could be a sign of things to come.

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Despite the fact that he is one of the best players in the world, Barça do not need a player like Griezmann right now. There are doubts as to how Valverde will be able to use him, while it is certain that he will disturb the stability in the squad.