Emi Martinez Takes John Terry’s No. 26 at Chelsea
Emi Martinez has been at Chelsea for barely a heartbeat and he’s already changed skins.
The Argentina international arrived from Aston Villa in a £7.5 million deal, walked straight into Stamford Bridge, asked for John Terry’s old No.26, and wore it with relish in a wild 4-3 debut win over Brighton. One game, four goals conceded, three points, and a statement: Chelsea finally had a goalkeeper with presence.
Now he’s No.1.
From Terry’s 26 to the keeper’s crown
The switch comes on the back of Robert Sanchez’s deadline-day loan move to Como, a late piece of business that left Chelsea’s most traditional goalkeeping jersey suddenly vacant. Martinez didn’t hesitate. The 34-year-old moved quickly to claim the shirt that carries a different kind of weight at a club built on iconic keepers.
Chelsea confirmed the change and, crucially, moved to look after their own. Supporters who had already snapped up a ‘Martinez 26’ shirt from the official megastore or club website will be allowed to bring it back to Stamford Bridge by October 4, proof of purchase in hand, and have it personally signed by the new No.1. A small gesture, but one that turns an awkward number swap into a collector’s item.
The twist is that this all comes just days after Martinez spoke so openly about chasing Terry’s blessing to wear 26 in the first place. He’d worn the number on loan before and liked the feel of it. At Stamford Bridge, it meant more.
“John was someone I spoke to before I joined, and he said he was over the moon to have me here,” Martinez said. “The morning I signed, I texted him and said, ‘I’m wearing your shirt, and I’m going to do it with pride’.”
Terry, never shy with an opinion, went further. He called Martinez a potential signing of the summer, a goalkeeper he would pick at the very top of any list.
“If I had the choice of any goalkeeper in the world, he would be right at the very top for me,” the former Chelsea captain said. “We signed him at Aston Villa from Arsenal and he was unbelievable. The confidence he shows, the way he trains, the influence he had on a group of players, the mindset is incredible.”
The bond between the two is rooted in a shared obsession: not conceding. Terry loved the idea that someone with Martinez’s mentality would inherit his number.
“He’s taking the 26 shirt, yes, we’ve given the green light,” Terry said. “You know why? Because he loves keeping clean sheets as much as I did when I wore the 26 shirt.”
A number that won’t settle
Terry’s old 26 has been restless since he retired. Kalidou Koulibaly wore it briefly during his short stay in London. Levi Colwill tried it on for a season before stepping into the No.6, another defender’s shirt with history attached. Nobody has managed to turn 26 into a long-term story again.
Martinez, by contrast, now moves into the jersey that defines his position. No nostalgia, no shadow of a centre-back legend. Just the blunt clarity of being Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper.
With Sanchez shipped out to Como, there is no debate about hierarchy. The Argentine has the gloves, the trust, and now the number to match. His first outing as Chelsea’s No.1 is set to come at a familiar venue: the Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea’s trip to Arsenal already carried enough narrative, but the shirt change adds a layer of irony. Martinez famously wore 26 during his time in north London. Now he returns in blue, upgraded to No.1, leading a Chelsea side trying to harness the chaos of that 4-3 win over Brighton and turn it into something more stable.
The number on his back has changed twice in a matter of weeks. The role he’s here to play has not.
