Why does Phil Foden wear the number 47 shirt?

MANCHESTER CITY wonderkid Phil Foden has made the strange decision to wear the No 47 shirt for his club.

The England international wears 47 when representing the reigning Premier League champions, although he wears No 11 for England.

Getty

Phil Foden has stuck with number 47 since youth level[/caption]

And Foden revealed that he turned down the opportunity to switch shirt numbers for a very heart-warming reason.

Here is SunSport’s knowledge on why 47 means so much to Phil Foden.

Why does Phil Foden wear the number 47 shirt for Man City?

Footballers usually start off with high numbers at youth level but when they break into the first team, their kit number begins to decrease.

However, Phil Foden has stuck with 47 from when he made his senior debut coming on as a substitute for midfield machine Yaya Toure in 2017.

Reason being is that 47 reportedly acts as a permanent tribute for Foden’s late grandfather Ronnie who passed away at age 47.

And it solidifies his family bond with Manchester City as it has been claimed that Ronnie was an avid City fan growing up.

Phil even got the number 47 as part of his haircut for the huge Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.

What has Phil Foden said about number 47?

Foden, 22, revealed that Manchester City’s all-time top goal scorer Sergio Aguero wanted to give him the number ten shirt when he departed for Barcelona before being forced to retire.

And the England starlet admitted to considering it, but he opted to stick with number 47.

Phil said: “I did think about it.

“The ten shirt is such a big number in the club, but I just have a thing with 47.

“I’d like to create me own legacy and keep that number.”

And Aguero later on confirmed this ahead of Jack Grealish’s £100million move in the summer of 2021.

Aguero said: “I think the number 10 shirt should be given to Phil Foden,” said the former Argentina international in a Twitch stream.

“Some say Kevin [De Bruyne]. The thing is, I believe Kevin used his number [17] at other clubs, so I don’t think he would change it.