In football, 11 players make up the starting lineup, which means another 11 are available for reserve. However, football does not work that way, as 5 substitutes are allowed in an official professional football game.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that squads don’t have more than 22 players, but the interesting thing is that while jersey number 11 is intended for wingers and forwards, most of the time, the number 22 jersey is not restricted to reserve forwards.
Our research across the biggest teams in Europe, and several national sides, revealed that it is a number used with discretion, as there are defenders, strikers, and midfielders assigned to it. Here are the football players who wear the number 22 shirt in 2025/26.
1. Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid)
Antonio Rüdiger has worn the number 22 at Real Madrid since his free transfer from Chelsea in 2022, taking the shirt previously belonging to Isco, and has gone on to win La Liga and two Champions League titles in white.
The German centre-back’s aggressive, no-nonsense style has made him a fixture in Madrid’s defence even into his thirties, and his combative edge occasionally lands him in hot water, including a tense touchline exchange with teammate Álvaro Carreras that required other players to intervene during a difficult 2025/26 campaign.
2. Weston McKennie (Juventus)
Weston McKennie switched to the number 22 jersey at Juventus for 2025/26 out of respect for teammate Michele Di Gregorio, whose late father had been fond of the number 16 that McKennie previously wore.
The American midfielder enjoyed a career-best campaign in Turin, becoming just the third midfielder to reach double figures for Juventus goals in a season alongside Ballon d’Or winners Pavel Nedvěd and Michel Platini, and was named the club’s Player of the Month for January 2026.
3. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Inter Milan)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has worn the number 22 jersey at Inter Milan since joining from Roma in 2022, and at 37 years old remains a key squad member, scoring in a 2-0 win over Parma in May 2026 that helped secure Inter’s Serie A title.
The Armenian international became the first player from his country to start a Champions League final, and his experience and game intelligence have made him an invaluable presence in Inter’s midfield long after most players his age would have retired.
4. Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool & France)
Hugo Ekitike joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2025 and was given the number 22 jersey, a number previously worn at Anfield by the likes of Simon Mignolet, and he wears the very same number for France, making him one of the rare players whose club and country shirts match.
The French striker arrived with a reputation for clinical finishing built during a prolific spell in the Bundesliga, and his arrival came during a turbulent campaign for the Reds that ultimately saw head coach Arne Slot depart the club at season’s end.
5. Marc Bernal (FC Barcelona)
Marc Bernal wears the number 22 jersey at Barcelona, having been promoted to a permanent first-team squad number for 2025/26 after a remarkable recovery from the ACL injury that wiped out almost his entire breakout 2024/25 season.
The teenage La Masia product was a revelation before his injury against Rayo Vallecano, and Barcelona’s faith in him was underlined by a contract extension to 2029 featuring a staggering €500 million release clause.
6. Raphaël Guerreiro (Bayern Munich)
Raphaël Guerreiro has worn the number 22 at Bayern Munich since his free transfer from Borussia Dortmund in 2023, bringing a wealth of European pedigree including a Euro 2016 winner’s medal with Portugal.
The versatile left-back and occasional midfielder won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Bayern in 2024/25 and 2025/26, and continues to find the net regularly from defence, a rare quality for a player in his thirties still operating at the highest level.
7. Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli)
Giovanni Di Lorenzo has worn the number 22 jersey at Napoli since joining from Empoli in 2019, and has become one of the most consistent right-backs in Serie A across more than 250 appearances for the club.
Now captaining Napoli and continuing to represent Italy at full international level, Di Lorenzo is regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world, and his longevity at the same club with the same number is increasingly rare in the modern transfer market.
8. Ademola Lookman (Atletico Madrid)
Ademola Lookman joined Atletico Madrid from Atalanta in a winter 2026 deal worth around €40 million, taking the number 22 jersey as he made the move to La Liga.
The Nigerian international arrived with one of the great individual European nights on his résumé, a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final that fired Atalanta to their first ever continental trophy, and Diego Simeone moved quickly to add his pace and direct running to an Atletico side chasing silverware.
9. Conor Gallagher (Tottenham Hotspur)
Conor Gallagher joined Tottenham from Atletico Madrid in January 2026 and took the number 22 shirt, freed up after Brennan Johnson’s surprise £35 million move to Crystal Palace earlier that same month.
The England international’s box-to-box energy gave Thomas Frank another option in midfield as Spurs looked to bolster their squad mid-season, having previously won the Europa Conference League with Chelsea before a difficult spell at Atletico following his switch to Spain in 2024.
10. Tom Heaton (Manchester United)
Tom Heaton has worn the number 22 jersey at Manchester United since returning to the club in 2021, having begun his career in United’s academy before spells at Burnley and Aston Villa took him through the prime years of his career.
Now in his forties, Heaton serves as experienced third-choice cover behind André Onana and Altay Bayındır, and remains a respected dressing-room presence at Old Trafford despite rarely featuring in competitive matches.
11. Vitor Reis (Manchester City)
Vitor Reis wears the number 22 at Manchester City after signing from Palmeiras in January 2025 for around £29.6 million, but spent the 2025/26 season out on loan at sister club Girona to gain regular senior football.
The Brazilian centre-back was considered one of South America’s most promising young defenders before his move, and City included a recall clause in his loan deal, underlining how highly Pep Guardiola’s recruitment team rate his long-term potential.
12. Gabriel Martinelli (Brazil national team)
While Gabriel Martinelli wears the number 11 shirt at Arsenal, he has consistently worn number 22 for the Brazil national team since making his senior debut in 2022, including at the 2022 World Cup, the 2024 Copa América, and the 2026 World Cup in North America.
An Olympic gold medallist from the Tokyo 2020 Games, Martinelli’s pace and directness from the left flank have made him a regular fixture in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad as Brazil chase a sixth World Cup title, having broken through alongside fellow Arsenal academy graduates in recent seasons.
13. Lautaro Martínez (Argentina national team)
Lautaro Martínez wears the number 10 shirt at Inter Milan, where he captains the club, but has consistently worn the number 22 for Argentina across his entire senior international career, including the victorious 2022 World Cup campaign and the 2024 Copa América title.
The Albiceleste captain’s understanding with Lionel Messi has been central to Argentina’s success over the past several years, and his movement and finishing ability make him one of the most feared strikers at international level.
14. Hakim Ziyech (Wydad AC)
Hakim Ziyech’s career has taken a winding path since his Chelsea days, from Galatasaray, to Qatari side Al-Duhail, and finally back to Morocco, where he signed for Wydad AC in 2025, returning to his country of national team allegiance to play domestically for the first time.
The mercurial winger who inspired Morocco’s historic run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals is rebuilding his career in Botola Pro, scoring regularly and proving there is still genuine quality in his left foot even as his European chapter appears to have closed.
15. Timothy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt)
American right-back Timothy Chandler wears the number 22 jersey at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he remains a senior figure in the squad despite turning 36 during the 2025/26 season.
A product of Bayern Munich’s youth system who has also represented the United States internationally, Chandler’s longevity at Frankfurt, spanning multiple spells with the club, makes him one of the most experienced heads in a Bundesliga dressing room that cycled through three different head coaches across the season.
If you enjoyed this list, take a look at the footballers who wear other notable shirt numbers, including our breakdowns of the number 13 jersey, the number 19 jersey, and the number 26 jersey.
