Manchester City wrapped up their summer transfer business with a signing that is already making headlines. Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma joined the Premier League champions from Paris Saint-Germain in a $35 million deal, but it’s not just the transfer fee or his expected battle for the No.1 spot that has captured attention — it’s the unusual squad number he has chosen at the Etihad.
The 26-year-old has become Pep Guardiola’s seventh and final signing of the transfer window, arriving on a five-year deal with an option for a sixth. But before even pulling on the gloves, Donnarumma has already made Manchester City history with a decision that connects back to his roots in Milan and sets him apart from every player to come before him.
City had been preparing for life without Ederson since early August, when the Brazilian goalkeeper made it clear he was ready for a new challenge. That move was confirmed on deadline day as Ederson left for Turkish side Fenerbahce in a $16m transfer.
In came Donnarumma, seen by Guardiola and City’s recruitment staff as the ideal replacement. He will compete with James Trafford, who returned from Burnley earlier in the summer, for the starting spot. Trafford has worn the gloves in all three of City’s opening league fixtures, and with a Manchester derby looming after the international break, Guardiola faces a high-stakes decision.
The shirt number that breaks tradition
The real intrigue surrounding Donnarumma’s arrival lies in his shirt number. City goalkeepers have historically stuck with traditional digits: No.1, 13, 18, or 31. But Donnarumma has chosen something never seen before at the Etihad. The Italian will wear the No.99 shirt — the first player in Manchester City history to do so.
The choice is deeply personal. At Milan, where Donnarumma broke through as a teenage prodigy, he wore 99 as a tribute to his birth year, 1999. That number became part of his identity and brand, until he was forced to change it after his 2021 move to PSG due to Ligue 1’s strict squad number rules.
Ligue 1 squad number regulations necessitated that Donnarumma switch from wearing jersey number 99 to number 1.French league rules require goalkeepers to wear 1, 16, or 30, though exceptions allowed him to briefly sport 50 and, in UEFA competitions, 99.
Now free of those restrictions, the Italy shot-stopper has reclaimed his trademark digits in England. The Premier League allows any number between 2 and 99, with No.1 still reserved for goalkeepers — but since Trafford already occupies that shirt, Donnarumma’s bold choice is both symbolic and historic.
