Elliot Anderson Takes Iconic No.5 Shirt at City
Elliot Anderson has been handed one of the most storied shirts at City – the No.5.
The new signing steps straight into the space left by John Stones, a modern club great and his England teammate, who brought a decade and 20 trophies to an end with his departure this summer. It is a bold inheritance. At City, that number carries weight.
Before Stones, the No.5 had already built a rich history. Pablo Zabaleta’s relentless drive, Sylvain Distin’s authority, Andy Morrison’s grit, Paul Power’s leadership and Tommy Booth’s reliability have all been stitched into that same patch of fabric. Anderson now joins that line.
Defensive Changes
At the heart of defence, another change signals a new chapter.
Marc Guéhi moves into the No.6 shirt, taking over from Nathan Aké. Guéhi arrived in January and wore No.15 as City went on to lift both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup in the 2025/26 campaign. Now he shifts into a number he knows well. No.6 was on his back throughout his five-year spell at Crystal Palace, where he grew from prospect to Premier League mainstay. For him, it is less a fresh start than a familiar identity restored.
Goalkeeper Changes
Behind them, the goalkeeper’s jersey has a new owner and a new status.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is confirmed as City’s No.1, stepping into the shirt vacated by James Trafford, who completed a permanent move to Leeds last week. At this club, that number has long been a statement. Frank Swift, Bert Trautmann, Joe Corrigan, Tony Coton, Joe Hart – each defined an era from between the posts.
Donnarumma, who wore No.25 last season, already wears No.1 for Italy and did the same in his final year at PSG, a season in which he swept Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the Trophée des Champions and the UEFA Champions League. Now that same digit will sit under the Etihad lights.
There is change in the goalkeeping group beyond him as well. New arrival Gerónimo Rulli has been allocated No.28, the number he first wore at Club Estudiantes de La Plata at the start of his career. For a keeper used to fighting his way up, it is a nod to his roots as he steps into a new battle for minutes.
Numbers do not win matches, but at a club built on layers of history, they do set a tone. Anderson at 5, Guéhi at 6, Donnarumma at 1, Rulli at 28 – a new spine, a new look, and a clear message ahead of the coming season.
