Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz has now lifted the lid on the reason behind the shirt number he now wears for the Gunners and previously donned for Chelsea.
As he did for Chelsea, Kai Havertz wears the No. 29 shirt for Arsenal.
The Gunners paid £65 million to prise the German away from Stamford Bridge in the recent summer transfer window.
This was a move that attracted plenty of negative attention at the time. Havertz was deemed the worst signing of the summer window back at the start of the season. He arrived at the Emirates Stadium clearly bereft of confidence and took some time to settle into life at Arsenal.
However, Mikel Arteta’s faith in the 24-year-old has now been vindicated. Arsenal fans have been blown away by the form that Havertz has produced in the second half of the season. He has established himself as the Gunners’ first-choice striker.
Havertz has now enjoyed a more successful season in front of goal for Arsenal than he ever managed as a Chelsea player. He has also returned to haunt the Blues, as he recently bagged a brace against them. Havertz had a good reason to celebrate his goals against his former club.
Aside from a Champions League triumph, to which he contributed the winning goal in the final, the forward may not have all that many fond memories of his time in west London. He struggled to ever shine for Chelsea on a consistent basis.
Why does Kai Havertz wear 29 for Arsenal?
He was a player in need of a fresh start this summer, and got one with Arsenal. However, he was clearly insistent upon bringing his squad number with him across the capital city.
Havertz has now opened up about the reason behind his decision to wear the 29 number. Speaking to Sky Sports, he explained: “The 29 has kind of a history, because I used to play always FIFA with my brother and we edited ourselves in the game so we played together. He always took No. 29 because it’s his birthday. So, then, when I joined the professionals, I just took the number and since then it always gave me luck so I kept on going with that.”
Kai Havertz has settled at Arsenal in a way he never did at Chelsea
He will certainly feel that his shirt has given him luck in recent weeks. Jamie Carragher believes that Havertz’s form has given Arsenal “a great chance” of being crowned champions this season.
He now looks to have found a home at the Emirates Stadium, he has endeared himself to the supporters, and Arteta clearly knows how to get the best out of him. There is hopefully plenty more to come from Arsenal’s number 29.
