Chelsea’s No. 9 curse: List of strikers who failed in João Pedro’s new jersey
By Luke Oluoch, August 26, 2026Chelsea’s João Pedro has recently taken up the No. 9 jersey ahead of the 2026–27 season while revealing his intention to replicate the form of his compatriot Diego Costa at the club
The shirt, previously worn by Liam Delap, remains a dreaded squad number at Stamford Bridge, worn by fewer than 20 players since the start of the Premier League era in 1992.
Over the years, the jersey has seen prolific strikers struggle, leading to unusual choices, such as midfielder Steve Sidwell and defender Khalid Boulahrouz donning the shirt when high-profile forwards avoided it.
Here is a list of big-name stars who struggled under the weight of the jersey:
Tony Cascarino (1992–1994)
The first player to wear the number in the Premier League era. Signed in January 1992, Cascarino occupied the No. 9 shirt for the campaign, making only nine appearances all season and scoring twice (against Tottenham Hotspur and Coventry City).
He kept the shirt the following season but managed only four league goals as Chelsea finished 11th, before departing for Marseille.
Fernando Torres (2011–2014)
The Spaniard’s dramatic downturn in form upon joining the Blues and donning the No. 9 shirt remains one of the most astonishing in football history.
Chelsea broke the British transfer record to bring in the prolific striker—who had scored 81 goals in 142 games for Liverpool—but proceedings went downhill quickly.
Torres failed to score more than eight league goals in a single season during his time in London. He endured a 903-minute (14-game) goal drought before opening his account.
Despite fans hoping he would turn things around, he scored just 20 Premier League goals across four seasons before leaving on loan for AC Milan.
Hernán Crespo (2005–2006)
A unique case among No. 9s, Crespo rarely struggled on the pitch but was hampered by off-the-field matters.
After returning from a loan spell at AC Milan for the 2005–06 season, Crespo took the vacant No. 9 shirt and got off to a fine start, scoring 13 goals to help Chelsea retain the Premier League title.
However, his full potential was cut short as his family struggled to settle in England, prompting a loan move back to Italy with Inter Milan to finish out his contract.
Álvaro Morata (2017–2018)
The club’s 13th player to wear the No. 9 in the Premier League era also failed to meet expectations. Morata struggled for consistency under head coach Maurizio Sarri before departing on loan for Atlético Madrid.
In an effort to shed the pressure, he famously swapped his squad number for No. 29 ahead of the 2018–19 campaign.
Gonzalo Higuaín (2019)
The Argentine joined Chelsea on loan from Juventus in January 2019 after cutting short a loan spell at AC Milan. He endured an underwhelming half-season under manager Maurizio Sarri after succeeding Morata as the centre-forward option.
Higuaín scored 5 goals in 14 Premier League appearances (and 5 goals in 18 appearances overall).
Despite winning the UEFA Europa League, Chelsea opted against triggering their option to buy him permanently, sending him back to Juventus at the end of the season.