Elliot Anderson Takes City’s Historic No.5 Shirt

Elliot Anderson has been handed one of the heaviest shirts in the dressing room.

The new signing will wear City’s No.5 this season, stepping straight into the number vacated by club great John Stones, who left in the summer after a decade, 20 trophies and a legacy that reshaped the club’s modern era. It is not just a squad number; at City, No.5 carries history.

From Pablo Zabaleta’s ferocious consistency to Sylvain Distin’s presence, from Andy Morrison’s steel to Paul Power and Tommy Booth’s influence in earlier eras, the shirt has long belonged to leaders and cult heroes. Anderson walks into that lineage now, with expectation stitched into the back of his jersey.

Guéhi steps into Ake’s role

At the heart of defence, another change signals a shift in status. Marc Guéhi has moved to No.6, the shirt left behind by Nathan Ake.

Guéhi arrived in January and wore No.15 as City stormed to a domestic cup double in the 2025/26 campaign, lifting both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. Now he moves into a number he knows well. No.6 was his second skin for five years at Crystal Palace, where he grew from promising defender into Premier League mainstay. At City, the same digit now hints at a central role in the next phase of the back line’s evolution.

Donnarumma takes the classic keeper’s crown

Behind them, there is a new name on the most traditional shirt of all. Gianluigi Donnarumma is City’s new No.1.

He succeeds James Trafford, who completed a permanent move to Leeds last week, and joins a roll call of iconic City goalkeepers to wear the jersey: Frank Swift, Bert Trautmann, Joe Corrigan, Tony Coton, Joe Hart. For Donnarumma, it is a natural fit. He wore No.25 last season at City, but No.1 has long been his number for Italy and was on his back during his final season at PSG, when he swept through Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the Trophée des Champions and the UEFA Champions League.

Now that same number anchors City’s goal.

Rulli returns to his roots

There is a quieter change further down the list, but one with personal meaning. New arrival Gerónimo Rulli will wear No.28.

It is not a random pick. Rulli began his career with that number at Estudiantes de La Plata, and he brings it with him into a new chapter in Manchester. For a goalkeeper joining a reshaped unit behind a refreshed defence, it is a subtle nod to where it all started.

New faces, old numbers, fresh stories. The shirts are assigned. The weight of history has been passed on. The next question is simple: who will make their number unforgettable?