There is no greater superstition around Stamford Bridge than the curse of Chelsea’s No. 9 jersey.
Year after year after year after year, Chelsea have watched the player with No. 9 on their back flounder. Some struggles have been minimal and others have become the stuff of infamy, with Liam Delap the latest to fall victim.
Having insisted 12 months ago that he was not interested in the number’s miserable reputation, Delap may well have been turned into a believer after a miserable season which seems destined to lead to the end of his Chelsea career after he was stripped of his shirt number and sent to train away from Xabi Alonso’s main squad.
To try and end the curse once and for all, Chelsea have been smart. There has been no expensive gamble, with the Blues instead handing the responsibility to a player who seems destined to succeed after his own debut year saw him reach new heights.
João Pedro, the scorer of 23 goals in 2025–26, is next up to try and break the curse, having been formally assigned the No. 9 jersey during Chelsea’s preseason shake-up.
Chelsea’s No. 9s Since 2000
| Player | Games Played | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 177 | 87 |
| Mateja Kežman | 41 | 7 |
| Hernán Crespo | 73 | 25 |
| Khalid Boulahrouz | 23 | 0 |
| Steve Sidwell | 25 | 1 |
| Franco Di Santo | 16 | 0 |
| Fernando Torres | 172 | 45 |
| Radamel Falcao | 12 | 1 |
| Álvaro Morata | 72 | 24 |
| Gonzalo Higuaín | 18 | 5 |
| Tammy Abraham | 82 | 30 |
| Romelu Lukaku | 59 | 15 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 21 | 3 |
| Liam Delap | 47 | 3 |
Recruited in 2000 as Chelsea’s new big-money striker, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink enjoyed his time as the No. 9, but things took a miserable turn following the arrival of Mateja Kežman in 2004. He had been utterly sensational at PSV Eindhoven, scoring 129 goals in 176 games, but netted just seven times in his solitary season at Stamford Bridge.
Hernán Crespo, who had already been struggling at Chelsea under a different number, was solid as he scored 13 goals in his one year wearing the 9 before forcing an exit for personal reasons. Things went a little awry after that.
Khalid Boulahrouz, a defender, was next to wear 9, followed by backup central midfielder Steve Sidwell, who has suggested he was only handed the shirt as part of then-manager José Mourinho’s attempt to criticize the board over the lack of a big-name striker signing.
The response? Hand the No. 9 to emerging youngster Franco Di Santo, who was by no means ready and did not even score a senior goal for Chelsea before being stripped of the shirt.
After several years of middling disappointment, the No. 9 curse really ramped up when Fernando Torres joined from Liverpool in 2011. Widely hailed as one of the world’s best strikers and one who had already proven it in the Premier League, the Spaniard’s form fell off a cliff at Stamford Bridge and kickstarted a trend of superstar names enduring implausible misery in the shirt.
Radamel Falcao, Álvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuaín all struggled horribly with 9 on their backs, before academy graduate Tammy Abraham threatened to end the curse before being frozen out by Thomas Tuchel.
Determined to see an undisputed superstar succeed in the 9, Chelsea turned to Romelu Lukaku. He’d just scored 30 goals for Inter to earn a $135 million (£97.5 million) return to Stamford Bridge, only to go public four months later with criticism of Tuchel and a desire to return to the Serie A side. Predictably, he never recovered from that.
Tuchel then requested a reunion with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, only to be fired six days after his wish was granted. The 9 went unused for a year after Aubameyang’s unsuccessful season, before Delap fell foul of the curse.
Why Joao Pedro Can Break the Curse
We’ve been here before. “This guy will be the one to break the curse!” “O.K., he failed, but this guy will do it!”
Pedro falls into a different bracket to all the other victims of the curse. All those since Hasselbaink—excluding Boulahrouz and Sidwell—were big names yet to prove their ability to lead the line for Chelsea. Sure, they had done it elsewhere, but until a player can strut their stuff at Stamford Bridge, they will always represent somewhat of a gamble.
That is not the case with Pedro, who wildly exceeded expectations last season as he racked up 23 goals and nine assists in 53 games with the No. 20 on his back. He’s now Chelsea’s undisputed starting striker, deserving of that honor having proven his credentials already. If anyone should be able to put the curse to bed, it is him.
That being said, there is still an air of uncertainty at Chelsea surrounding new manager Alonso. We have seen Pedro excel under other managers but are still awaiting a verdict on his performances under Alonso, although preseason was thoroughly encouraging with a return of seven goals and one assist in five games.
Anything close to those lofty standards will provide the ritual needed to end this curse once and for all.
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