Remember Santi Carzola at Arsenal? What about a young Lionel Messi at Barcelona? Dwight Yorke and Nicola Pepe, amongst others?
Well, they all have one thing in common, No, not speed, dribbling skills are close, but the real deal is that these players and ex-footballers wore the number 19 shirt at one point or time in their careers.
Some of them are excited to see the ball on their feet, but how do the present players in 2022 fare to these players? That’s a topic for another day but first, let’s identify those who wear jersey number 19 in 2022.
1. Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Mason Mount is an English midfielder who plays for Chelsea; the 23-year-old is playing at his first World Cup in Qatar but has been pulling the strings in the middle for the Blues since 2017, amassing over 120 appearances.
He made his national team debut in 2019, winning the Euros silver medal. Last season he had 11 goals and ten assists in 32 Premier League games, and two goals and two assists in 14 games this season.
The Englishman is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at the moment.
2. Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)
Harvey Elliott is a 19-year-old with many prospects ahead, having made his Liverpool debut in 2019. The midfielder is the youngest player to debut for Fulham’s senior side.
He has two goals in six UEFA Champions League games for the Reds and has made 14 Premier League appearances this season.
He’s one of the best young football talents that the English national team can look forward to in the future.
3. Raphael Varane (Manchester United)
A UEFA Champions League and La Liga winner with Real Madrid plus a World Cup winner with the French national team, Varane is a defense general.
The French player made over 200 appearances for Los Blancos between 2011 and 2021 before switching to Manchester United.
Varane broke out at French club Lens at a very young age, and his defensive attributes plus speed earned him a move to Real Madrid, where he won everything available.
At Real Madrid, Raphaël Varane was handed the number 19 shirt.
4. Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham Hotspurs)
Once regarded as the next big thing in English football, Ryan Sessegnon hasn’t exactly fallen off, he hasn’t fulfilled his potential either.
He broke out with Fulham seasons back in 2016 as a youngster and managed just over 100 appearances for the Craven Cottage side within three years.
Sessegnon moved to Spurs in 2019, went on loan to Hoffenheim, and returned to North London, where he made 33 appearances.
5. Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
Julian Alvarez is the young Argentinian striker who Pep Guardiola brought in to Manchester City to understudy Norwegian striker Erling Haaland.
Julian Alvarez hasn’t disappointed in any way, although he has been limited to a bit-part role which isn’t bad based on Halaand’s form this season.
At 22, he is already made it to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with the Argentina national team, a steady rise for the youngster who has also won Copa America and the finalissima in 2022.
6. Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid)
Dani Ceballos spent two seasons on loan at Arsenal between 2019 and 2021 and has returned to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he hasn’t been a regular.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old defender has an Olympics silver medal for Spain from the Tokyo 2020 games. His appearances for the national team have been limited to 11 games too.
7. Franck Kessie (Barcelona)
Franck Kessie rose through all the national team levels of Ivory Coast, having played at the U17 and U20 levels. His quality as a midfielder made his progress into senior football easy.
The 26-year-old has played over 60 games for the Ivorian national team since debuting in 2014.
He’s played at Atalanta and AC Milan and is now with Barcelona, where he moved to on a free transfer in the summer, and was assigned the number 19 shirt.
8. Leroy Sane (Germany)
Leroy Sane wears the number 10 jersey for Bayern Munich but for the national team; he puts on the number 19 jersey.
He is one of the best wingers in the world, and obviously one of the top soccer players who wear the number 19 jersey.
The wing forward is known for his incredible speed, his time at Manchester City didn’t last long, but he’s fared better at the Bavarians.
9. Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton)
Vitaliy Mykolenko is a Ukrainian left-back who joined Everton in 2022 from Dynamo Kyiv. The 23-year-old debuted for the national team in 2018 and has garnered 28 appearances.
For Everton this season, he’s made 15 appearances in the Premier League, while he managed 13 Premier League games last season.
10. Moussa Djenepo (Southampton)
Djenepo moved to Southampton in 2019 from Belgian side Standard Liege; the Malian international is just 24 years old and has managed over 29 games for the African country.
Djenepo can play as a forward or wing forward, and he made his mark in the English top-flight in September 2019, winning the Premier League goal of the month.
