Tottenham have confirmed Andy Robertson’s shirt number ahead of the 2026–27 season, with the former Liverpool man joining a host of iconic figures.
Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season preparations have been the focus in the last couple of days, with the squad now headed to Australia and New Zealand following their 1-0 victory over MK Dons.
As many as 35 players made Roberto De Zerbi’s squad list for the tour, with several new signings and returning World Cup players included.
Amongst them is Andy Robertson, who only just completed his move to Tottenham this summer on a free transfer.
Tottenham confirm Andy Robertson as new number three
Ahead of Spurs’ first game in Oceania, the club has now confirmed the shirt number of one of their newest additions. Robertson has been confirmed as the club’s latest number three following his move from Liverpool.
The former Reds full-back previously wore the number 26, doing so for the last nine seasons. However, the number three is not entirely new to him, as he had the number on his back in 2016/17 while with Hull City and in 2012/13 with Queen’s Park FC. Robertson also uses the number three with his national team, Scotland.
On why he chose the number three shirt, the new Tottenham number 3 said: “Obviously I was 26 when I first went to Liverpool.
“But, um, you know, when I first came here, I kind of knew that the 26 number had not been used since, you know, the legend that is Ledley King and yeah, I suppose from my point of view, I kind of wanted to respect that, you know, he was an unbelievable player and obviously done so many good things for this football club.
“Um, but, you know, also number three means a lot to me in terms of that is my national team number. I have had a lot of so many good memories as number three for Scotland and things like that. So when I knew three was going to become available, then it was a no-brainer for me, and then yeah, 26 is obviously a really important number to me, and in my life and things like that.
“And it will always stay at that, but number three is just as important, and hopefully I can make as many memories in a number three shirt than I did in 26.”
Why Robertson’s number choice makes sense at Spurs
Robertson not getting the number 26 shirt is not entirely surprising, given that the number has not been worn by any other player since Ledley King vacated it in the 2011/12 season.
The number is technically unofficially retired, which explains why Robertson opted for the number three shirt. That number does have history at Tottenham, with several players having donned it in recent times.
The last person to have worn the shirt was Radu Dragusin, who has now secured a move to Fiorentina on loan, but it should be made permanent in 2027.
Other notable figures to have worn the number three shirt include Danny Rose, who was part of the golden generation under Mauricio Pochettino.
The iconic Gareth Bale, as well as Garry Mabbutt, also stand as some of the notable figures to have donned the Tottenham shirt.
| Shirt No. | Player | Seasons Wearing No. 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Radu Drăgușin | 25/26 |
| 3 | Sergio Reguilón | 24/25 |
| 3 | Sergio Reguilón | 20/21 – 21/22 |
| 3 | Danny Rose | 12/13 – 19/20 |
| 3 | Gareth Bale | 08/09 – 11/12 |
| 3 | Young-pyo Lee | 06/07 – 07/08 |
| 3 | Stephen Kelly | 05/06 |
| 3 | Mauricio Taricco | 99/00 – 04/05 |
| 3 | Paolo Tramezzani | 98/99 |
| 3 | Terry Fenwick | 91/92 |
| 3 | Steve Sedgley | 91/92 |
| 3 | Justin Edinburgh | 90/91 – 97/98 |
| 3 | Gudni Bergsson | 90/91 |
| 3 | Pat Van Den Hauwe | 89/90 – 92/93 |
| 3 | Gary Stevens | 89/90 |
| 3 | Chris Hughton | 88/89 |
| 3 | Mitchell Thomas | 86/87 – 90/91 |
| 3 | Paul Miller | 86/87 |
| 3 | Danny Thomas | 85/86 |
| 3 | John Chiedozie | 84/85 |
| 3 | Gary Mabbutt | 84/85 |