By Felix Keith
Manchester City star Phil Foden chose the No.47 shirt as a tribute to his late grandfather Ronnie.
Foden has established himself as one of City’s most consistent performers and is set to start for England at Euro 2024 this summer. The 23-year-old playmaker has already won five Premier League titles, four Carabao Cups, the Champions League and FA Cup with his boyhood club.
He has done all of that, making 263 appearances and scoring 82 goals, while donning an unusual number. Most players choose to switch to a more conventional number once they graduate from the academy to the first team, but like Declan Rice, who wears No.41 for Arsenal, Foden decided to keep his original City number.
There is a good reason for doing so. Rather than being assigned a squad number, Foden chose No.47 because it has a touching personal connection to his grandad, who was a big City supporter.
“Being a young player you don’t have many options when it comes to what you can have on your shirt,” Foden told the Daily Mail. “I had a few numbers sent to me and none of them really meant anything to me apart from that one, the 47.
“That was the age my grandad was when he died. I was young when we lost him. I remember going to Wales with him and on a few other trips. My dad says he loved playing football with me. I asked my dad if he would be happy if I wore that number. He said it would be amazing so I took the shirt number and I have loved it ever since.
“I have it tattooed on me now and it’s a shirt I don’t ever see changing. It’s nice to make your own legacy. It’s a strange number nobody else will go for so hopefully in years to come when I have finished, 47 at City will be remembered for Phil Foden.”
Foden was offered the No.10 shirt when City hero Sergio Aguero left the club in 2021, but he chose to stick with No.47. Speaking about his decision in 2022, he said: "I did think about it. The 10 shirt is such a big number in the club, but I just have a thing with 47. I'd like to create my own legacy and keep that number."
He is doing a great job of doing just that this season, having racked up 22 goals and 10 assists in 46 matches across all competitions for City. With Kevin De Bruyne spending time on the sidelines through injury, Foden has stepped up to become his team’s chief creative outlet, while also enjoying his best campaign in terms of goals.
Although they were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid, City are on course to win a fourth straight Premier League title. And Foden will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they chase another piece of silverware against Chelsea in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
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