Andre Silva Chooses Unusual Number to Leave No.9 Shirt to New Signing Gonzalo Higuain
With the arrival of 'El Pipita' Higuain, Portugal international Andre Silva has immediately opted for a new shirt number: 69.
Silva, who has scored only twice in 24 appearances last season for Milan, has left the symbolic number 9 to his new Argentinian teammate that has just joined the Red Devils from their historical rivals Juventus.
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Exhibiting a scoring record which is far from thrilling for a hungry striker like a number 9 should be, especially when remembering that a certain Pippo Inzaghi netted 126 goals for the club wearing that heavy Rossoneri shirt in recent history, the 22-year-old has decided to leave the pressure on an experienced goalscorer like Higuain.
Instead, the young Portuguese attacker has chosen the unusual number 69 to figure on his back for the upcoming season, which not many players have adopted over the years.
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The first footballer to opt for the odd and somewhat controversial number in European football was Athletic Bilbao defender Bixente Lizarazu, who had a solid explanation to justify his choice: he was born in 1969, he was 1.69m tall and he weighed 69kg.
The first footballer to opt for the odd and somewhat controversial number in European football was Athletic Bilbao defender Bixente Lizarazu, who had a solid explanation to justify his choice: he was born in 1969, he was 1.69m tall and he weighed 69kg.
In Serie A instead, Riccardo Meggiorini, who plays for Chievo, wears the 69 on the back of his shirt and has been choosing it since his time at Cittadella in Serie B. Nothing to do with lust or licentiousness, as Meggiorini claims it is a homage to his favourite motorcyclist Nicky Hayden.
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Silva is already wearing the curious number and, so far, it is doing wonders: he scored in the last minute against Barcelona in the International Champions Cup to give Milan a prestigious 1-0 win against the Spanish giants.
