Romelu Lukaku is the most recent victim of an 18-year hoodoo as Chelsea's "No. 9 Curse" strikes once more.
The No. 9 jersey is arguably the most sought-after of all the football shirt numbers.
The number carries a great deal of responsibility and is typically given to a team's top striker. People who wear it are required to offer goals, and to do so frequently. However, scoring is the hardest thing in football, as cliche as it may sound. It explains why forwards fetch the greatest salaries and frequently grab the attention of the media during transfer windows.
It should therefore come as no surprise that the No. 9 shirt is highly prized by clubs across the nation, with one significant exception. It is now feared at Chelsea; it is a poisoned chalice that has ruined the careers of some of the greatest attackers in recent history.
Romelu Lukaku, who adopted the number when he rejoined Chelsea in a club-record £97.5 million deal from Inter Milan last summer, is the latest victim of the No. 9 "curse," as it is now known around Stamford Bridge. After a disastrous season with the Blues, Lukaku has returned to the San Siro less than a year later on loan. At your peril, underestimate the curse.
He is only the most recent victim of a curse that dates back to 2004, when Chelsea icon Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink gave up the No. 9 jersey to join Middlesbrough on a free transfer.
Mateja Kezman, a Serbian striker who cost Chelsea £5.3 million to acquire from PSV Eindhoven, would assume the number. This deal marked the beginning of the opulent Roman Abramovich period spending. However, he would only play at Stamford Bridge for one season, scoring just four goals in 24 league appearances as Chelsea won the title under Jose Mourinho, before being transferred to Atletico Madrid.
The dangerous Argentine striker Hernan Crespo, who had returned to Chelsea for the 2005–06 season after a loan stint with Champions League runner-up AC Milan, was the next person to try his luck. With 13 goals in 42 games as Chelsea successfully defended their Premier League title, he would perform marginally better than Kezman. Crespo returned to Serie A that summer, finishing out the remaining time on his Chelsea contract on loan at Inter, but his family was unable to stay in England due to this.
Chelsea then made the extremely strange choice to give defender Khalid Boulahrouz the No. 9 jersey. When Crespo left for Italy, the Dutch center defender known as "The Cannibal," who had been signed from Hamburg, assumed Crespo's jersey number.
However, he had trouble maintaining his form and fitness while playing for west London, and he was loaned to Sevilla until being bought by Stuttgart in 2008.
While Boulahrouz was on loan in Spain, Steve Sidwell, a midfielder, was given the No. 9 jersey by Chelsea. In the 2007–2008 season, the former Reading player would make 25 appearances but was unable to secure a spot as a regular starter in a midfield that featured players like Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Claude Makelele, and Michael Ballack. Naturally, Sidwell only played for Chelsea for one season before being transferred to Aston Villa. Another victim has been claimed by the No. 9 shirt.
Later, Morata acknowledged that the pressure and expectation of setting the tone for Chelsea's offense was difficult for him.
"I had a terrible time there. In the end, I trained by myself. I felt quite uneasy "2019 saw Morata telling Goal. "Along with me, my wife was stunned. In London, I was unable to even go out. Although I hope to never experience despair, I've been close."
Following Morata was sent out to Spain, Gonzalo Higuain became the third Argentine striker, after Crespo and Di Santo, to assume the No. 9 shirt at Chelsea. On his 14 league games for the Blues during a six-month loan from Juventus at Stamford Bridge, Higuain managed a respectable five goals.But after the 2018–19 season, he would play football once more in Italy. Once more, the clothing had no owner.
product of the Chelsea academy The next guy to seek to reverse the curse was Tammy Abraham. During the 2019–20 season, he suddenly rose to the position of the club's starting striker, and with 18 goals, he would end the year as their top scorer.
However, due to a bad run of play the following season, he was demoted from the starting lineup and later signed a permanent contract with Roma. Since then, he has returned to his scoring ways in Italian football, netting an astounding 27 goals in 53 games while playing for Jose Mourinho.
When Lukaku scored three goals in his first three Premier League games back at Chelsea, it appeared as though he may be the one to finally do the No. 9 shirt right. The season went on, though, and his performance sharply declined. By the halfway point, Kai Havertz had replaced him as the team's first-choice striker.
Only eight goals from 26 Premier League matches for Lukaku would be a poor season total. He may have just played his final match for Chelsea now that he has clinched a transfer back to Italian football.
Who will wear the dreadful No. 9 jersey for the upcoming season is yet unknown. They won't have it for very long, though, if history is any indication.
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