Emi Martínez Swaps No.26 for No.1 at Chelsea
Emi Martínez has been at Chelsea barely long enough to find his parking spot, and he’s already changed his number.
The Argentine arrived from Aston Villa in a £7.5 million deal and walked straight into Stamford Bridge with a statement: he wanted No.26. John Terry’s number. The number he wore on loan earlier in his career. He pulled it on for his debut, helped Chelsea edge Brighton 4-3 in a chaotic thriller, and looked every inch the club’s new enforcer at the back.
Then the window slammed shut, Robert Sánchez left on loan to Como, and the most traditional shirt in a goalkeeper’s wardrobe suddenly lay empty.
No.1.
Martínez didn’t hesitate. With Sánchez gone, Chelsea moved quickly to confirm their new first-choice keeper would swap from 26 to 1, and the 34-year-old agreed to the upgrade. The club announced the change and, with it, a rare gesture to supporters caught in the crossfire of modern football’s constant churn.
Anyone who bought a ‘Martinez 26’ shirt from the official megastore or club website can bring it back to Stamford Bridge by October 4, proof of purchase in hand, and have it personally signed by the World Cup winner. A small consolation for fans who thought they’d nailed the new era’s look, only to see the number become obsolete inside a few weeks.
The twist is sharp because of what came before. Martínez hadn’t just grabbed 26 on a whim. He had gone straight to the source.
“John was someone I spoke to before I joined, and he said he was over the moon to have me here,” Martínez said. “The morning I signed, I texted him and said, ‘I’m wearing your shirt, and I’m going to do it with pride’.”
Terry, never shy about standards, embraced it. He called Martínez a potential signing of the summer, a goalkeeper he’d choose “at the very top” of any list. He talked about signing him at Aston Villa from Arsenal, about how “unbelievable” he had been there – the way he trained, the authority he carried, the mindset that dragged others up with him.
For Terry, the connection ran deeper than a number printed on the back. It was about mentality.
“He’s taking the 26 shirt, yes, we’ve given the green light,” the former captain said. “You know why? Because he loves keeping clean sheets as much as I did when I wore the 26 shirt.”
That mutual respect made the original choice feel symbolic. Terry’s 26 has been a difficult legacy to follow. Kalidou Koulibaly wore it briefly before moving on. Levi Colwill tried it for a season before switching to No.6. No one has truly settled into it since Terry retired, and now Martínez has stepped away from it as well, choosing the classic keeper’s number and the clarity that comes with it.
No.1 is not a tribute. It’s ownership.
The timing adds another layer. Martínez’s first outing in his new shirt is set to come at the Emirates Stadium, away to Arsenal – the club where he spent years in the shadows and, notably, also wore No.26. Now he returns as Chelsea’s undisputed starter, leading a team desperate to build on that wild 4-3 win over Brighton and find something resembling momentum.
With Sánchez out on loan and the pecking order no longer up for debate, the picture is clear. The Terry link, the shirt shuffle, the signatures for fans – all of it now fades behind the reality of the role.
Martínez has the gloves, the trust, and the No.1 on his back. The rest will be decided in North London.
