World Cup: Ramsey to score tonight? Data predicts the best performing shirt numbers

Data reveals the top performing shirt number at the World Cup

• Number 10 is officially the best performing football shirt number according to new study 
• Gareth Bale is the top goal scorer – can he add to his record? 

The pressure is on for Wales’ Aaron Ramsey, as a new study by Europe’s biggest retailer of sports and fitness, Sports Direct reveals that number 10 is the best performing football shirt number in the World Cup. 

Rob Page revealed his all-star squad last week for the upcoming World Cup, and with Ramsey officially set to wear the number 10 shirt, the pressure is on for a knock-out performance. 

It’s no surprise that the lucky two digit number has topped the chart, ahead of second place number 7 worn by Joe Allen and third place number 1.

Sports Direct’s research looked at the 100 best performing players from the last two World Cups, analysing metrics such as social media followings, online mentions, goals scored, assists, player of the match performances, yellow and red cards and minutes played on the pitch. 

When looking at the top 50 players in the ranking index, the top five best performing football shirt numbers are: 

1. Number 10 
2. Number 7 
3. Number 1
4. Number 13  
5. Number 11

Surprisingly, number 9 didn’t perform as well as expected, despite being considered a popular number amongst fans and players. 

The pressure is on for Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, as football shirt number 1 came out in third position, beating national sweetheart and captain Gareth Bale and his number 11. 

Sports Direct partnered with football analyst Matt Furniss, of The Analyst to get his take on the findings. He said: 

“It might come as a shock to some to see that the number 1 shirt is the third-most popular in the rankings, but goalkeepers often become heroes at the World Cup. Since 2014, there have been eight penalty shootouts across the two tournaments – these have seen 19 penalties saved by the man between the posts, which is 25% of those taken in shootouts.” 

As expected, tying for goal scorers of the last two tournaments were Harry Kane, Neymar and James Rodriguez, all with six goals each across the two competitions – but Bale join this group this year?  

To see the full list of the best performing shirt numbers and more expert insight, head here: https://www.sportsdirect.com/football-shirts/best-performing-shirt-number