Emi Martinez Takes Chelsea's No.1 Shirt After Brief Stint in No.26

Emi Martinez has been at Chelsea for barely a heartbeat, but he has already changed his skin.

The Argentina international walked through the doors at Stamford Bridge in a £7.5 million move from Aston Villa, asked straight away for the No.26 shirt, and got it. He even made his debut in it, throwing himself into a wild 4-3 win over Brighton that felt like a throwback to chaotic Chelsea nights of old.

From Terry’s 26 to Chelsea’s No.1

The twist came as soon as Robert Sanchez sealed a deadline-day loan switch to Como. His departure left the club’s No.1 vacant – the classic goalkeeper’s number, the one that signals status as much as position. Martinez didn’t hesitate. The 34-year-old moved quickly to claim it, trading the romantic weight of John Terry’s 26 for the authority of the traditional keeper’s jersey.

Chelsea confirmed the switch and, aware that the club shop tills had already been ringing with “Martinez 26” sales, moved to look after their own. Any supporter who bought a Martinez No.26 shirt from the official megastore or website can take it back to Stamford Bridge by October 4, proof of purchase in hand, and have it personally signed by the new goalkeeper. A small gesture, but a smart one, and one that turns a number change into a piece of memorabilia.

The decision comes only days after Martinez spoke openly about the significance of taking Terry’s number in the first place. He had worn 26 on loan earlier in his career and liked the feel of it. Before he signed for Chelsea, he reached out to the club’s most iconic No.26.

“John was someone I spoke to before I joined, and he said he was over the moon to have me here,” Martinez explained. “The morning I signed, I texted him and said, ‘I’m wearing your shirt, and I’m going to do it with pride’.”

Terry’s seal of approval

The former Chelsea captain had already called Martinez a contender for signing of the summer, such is his admiration for the goalkeeper he once worked with at Aston Villa.

“If I had the choice of any goalkeeper in the world, he would be right at the very top for me,” Terry said. “We signed him at Aston Villa from Arsenal and he was unbelievable. The confidence he shows, the way he trains, the influence he had on a group of players, the mindset is incredible.”

For Terry, it wasn’t just about shot-stopping or distribution. It was about mentality. He loved that Martinez shared his obsession with clean sheets.

“He’s taking the 26 shirt, yes, we’ve given the green light,” Terry had said. “You know why? Because he loves keeping clean sheets as much as I did when I wore the 26 shirt.”

That blessing made Martinez’s brief spell in 26 feel like a passing of the torch. Yet he will now write his Chelsea story under a different number, one that belongs to him alone.

A restless number, a settled keeper

Since Terry hung up his boots, 26 has been a restless shirt at Stamford Bridge. Kalidou Koulibaly picked it up during his short stay in west London. Levi Colwill wore it for a single season before shifting to No.6, a more classic centre-back choice.

None of them made 26 theirs. Nobody really could. Terry’s shadow still hangs over it.

Martinez, by contrast, has landed on a number that carries no ghosts. No.1 is simple. No.1 is undisputed. With Sanchez now in Italy, that is exactly what Martinez has become under the crossbar.

His first outing in the new jersey will not be a quiet one. Chelsea head to the Emirates Stadium next, a trip that always stirs emotion. For Martinez, it’s personal history too: he famously wore 26 at Arsenal, fighting for recognition before his late-career rise turned him into one of the game’s most respected goalkeepers.

Now he returns as Chelsea’s No.1, leading a side desperate to turn a chaotic, nerve-shredding win over Brighton into something more stable, more convincing.

The shirt has changed. The expectation has not.