João Pedro has officially become the 12th player to wear the Chelsea number 9 shirt since 2004, a number that has developed a reputation among fans as one of the club’s most demanding and often unforgiving.
Softfootball understands the Brazilian forward has now taken over the shirt from Liam Delap, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town in 2025 for £30 million, a move that has so far produced very little return.
Here are the Chelsea number 9 shirt holders from 2004 to 2026, as gathered by Softfootball:
- Mateja Kežman — 7 goals in 41 games
- Hernán Crespo — 13 goals in 42 games
- Franco Di Santo — 0 goals in 16 games
- Fernando Torres — 45 goals in 172 games
- Radamel Falcao — 1 goal in 12 games
- Álvaro Morata — 24 goals in 72 games
- Gonzalo Higuaín — 5 goals in 19 games
- Tammy Abraham — 30 goals in 82 games
- Romelu Lukaku — 15 goals in 44 games
- Pierre‑Emerick Aubameyang — 3 goals in 21 games
- Liam Delap — 2 goals in 35 games
- João Pedro — new number 9
The number 9 shirt at Chelsea has long been viewed as a symbol of pressure, with many forwards struggling to meet expectations. João Pedro now becomes the latest to take on the challenge.
