Elliot Anderson Takes Historic No.5 Shirt at City
Elliot Anderson has been handed one of the most storied shirts at City – the No.5 once worn by John Stones.
The new signing steps straight into a number heavy with history. Stones, a City great and Anderson’s England teammate, closed a decade-long chapter at the club this summer, walking away with 20 trophies and leaving the No.5 vacant for the first time in years.
That shirt has rarely sat on an ordinary set of shoulders. Pablo Zabaleta, Sylvain Distin, Andy Morrison, Paul Power and Tommy Booth have all carried it in different eras, each adding their own edge to a number that has become a defensive landmark.
Now it belongs to Anderson.
Guéhi moves into Ake’s old role – and number
Just behind that headline, another key piece of the defensive puzzle has shifted. Marc Guéhi will wear No.6.
Guéhi arrived in January and spent the second half of last season in No.15, playing his part as City lifted both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup in the 2025/26 campaign. The summer exit of Nathan Ake opened up No.6, and Guéhi has stepped into it – a natural fit, given it was his shirt throughout five seasons at Crystal Palace.
The change underlines his growing status. From mid-season signing to the number traditionally associated with a first-choice centre-back, Guéhi’s rise at City is gathering pace.
Donnarumma takes the gloves – and the No.1
In goal, there is a new name on the most traditional jersey of them all. Gianluigi Donnarumma has claimed the No.1 shirt.
James Trafford’s permanent move to Leeds last week ended his spell as City’s No.1 and cleared the way for the Italian to assume the number that so often defines a club’s main goalkeeper.
It is a lineage that stretches back through some of City’s most iconic shot-stoppers: Frank Swift, Bert Trautmann, Joe Corrigan, Tony Coton, Joe Hart. Donnarumma now joins that list.
He wore No.25 last season, but No.1 is hardly unfamiliar territory. It is the number he wears for Italy and the one he used in his final season at PSG, a campaign in which he helped deliver Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the Trophée des Champions and the UEFA Champions League. Now that digit sits on his back in Manchester.
Rulli returns to his roots with 28
There is one more change between the posts. New arrival Gerónimo Rulli will wear No.28.
For the Argentine, the choice carries a personal echo. It is the same number he wore at the very start of his career with Estudiantes de La Plata, now revived at a club competing at the sharp end of European football.
With Anderson at 5, Guéhi at 6, Donnarumma at 1 and Rulli at 28, City’s new season will begin with a fresh look to its backbone – and some serious history stitched into those numbers.
